


Redemption Arc Forever

by GuestPlease



Series: Real World Consequences [1]
Category: Twelve Forever (Cartoon)
Genre: Adult Themes, Butt Witch's backstory is SAD guys, Emotional Vulnerability, Endless is horrifying, F/M, Locked In, Our girl Butt Witch is forced to explore FEELINGS, PTSD, Strong Language, Superpowers, The Butt Witch used to be human, Todd can't get in either but we'll get to that later, and make FRIENDS with these CHILDREN, how do I make people find this, like only 1.5 what Endless normally is, redemption arc, when I say Endless is horrifying it's mild horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2020-08-10 12:43:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 29,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20135653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuestPlease/pseuds/GuestPlease
Summary: When Reggie and Esther get to Endless, they find that everyone's gone.Everyone that is, except the Butt Witch.Now they must work together to save Endless before it destroys them all.





	1. Sinclair's flair is in her underWEAR

Reggie threw her backpack on the bed and got her key out. She was the first one into Endless, but it didn’t matter much—Esther was close behind her, and Todd would be on his way after a date with Gwen. What mattered was that no one—_no one_—in all of Endless was there.

“HelLOOOO” Reggie called.   
“Maybe they’re all sick?” Esther suggested. “Can we call them?”   
“TWELVE’S BACK!” Reggie continued. “GUYS!”

The wind rustled the trees, and someone finally stepped forward. She had somehow grown back to her original size.   
“No one is on this thrice cursed island.” Butt Witch hissed. “And here I hoped I was finally rid of you.”   
“Did you do this?!” Reggie demanded.   
Butt Witch glared at her. “No. Where’s the other one?”

“Todd’s busy right now.” Esther said.   
“Dude, don’t tell her anything!” Reggie huffed. “Flaps…!” But nobody came.   
Butt Witch regarded them coolly. “The way I see it, we have a common enemy. You want your disgusting denizens of Endless back, and I want my… henchman.”   
“Why are you still here, if I may ask?” Esther wondered.

Butt Witch ground her teeth, clearly deciding on what to say. “Only things that were created on Endless are gone now.”   
“What does that mean?!” Reggie demanded. “I created you when I threw those stupid books in the volcano!”   
Butt Witch crossed her arms. “I wasn’t _created_, I simply… woke up. If you two won’t help, then get out of my sight before I decide that you’re still nuisances getting in my way.”   
Esther placed a gentle hand on Reggie’s arm, before turning to Butt Witch. “What do you have in mind?”

Butt Witch looked incredibly taken aback by this. “I think… we need to get to the centre of the island. There may be a purge going on right now, and I don’t want to be caught in it. The centre of the island is also the most, hm, how to say it? It’s the most _alive_.”   
“Fine, but we’re leaving a trail for Todd. I don’t trust you, Butt Witch.” Reggie spat.   
“You don’t have to—_that is not my name_.”

“Then… what is your name? If we’re allies?” Esther asked.   
Butt Witch opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again, holding a hand to her throat. Her eyes darted around, and she finally ground out, “It’s not important right now. You can call me ‘Madame’.”   
Reggie scoffed. “No way, I’m not your henchman like Big Deal, _Butt Witch_.”   
“How about Ms… Flair?” Esther added.

The Butt Witch got the same look on her face as when she tried to remember her name. “…Flair…”   
Reggie punched Esther in the shoulder happily. “Nice, you broke the Butt Witch!”   
For once, the Butt Witch didn’t turn to them and tell them not to call them that. “Sinclair’s flair is that she shows her under_wear_…”   
“Is that your name? Sinclair?” Esther pressed, rubbing her arm gently where Reggie punched her.

Butt Witch’s attention snapped to her. “No! What would you know about it, anyway?! Let’s get moving before I eat you both!”   
The two children followed her into the jungle of Endless, Esther occasionally marking trees or rocks with her lasso. Overhead, a storm was beginning to rage. For once, it was almost as dark as night.   
“I’m worried—Todd should be here by now. Do you think the trail I left was enough?” Esther asked Reggie.

“Todd, Todd, Todd. Why worry about the one you _know_ is alive? Worry about yourselves.” Butt Witch said, not looking at either child.   
“Hey, just ‘cause you don’t have any friends doesn’t mean that you’re right! Todd might be in trouble!” Reggie waved her arm in the air, gesturing vaguely at the storm.   
“One could say that you two are in trouble, walking alone with a strange adult—who might _eat_ you if you grow too annoying—in the dark.” Butt Witch replied, plopping herself down on a nearby rock.

Esther held up her key. “I’m just going to go check…”   
Nothing happened.   
Reggie held up her key. “Wh—why am I locked out again?! I know how cool I am!”   
Butt Witch looked up at the sky. “Mm. It’s getting worse. The island is probably openly trying to kill us now.”

“What?!” Esther and Reggie said together.   
Butt Witch examined her fingernails. “What did you _think_ I meant when I said there was a purge going on? Endless is going to send us to sleep if it can, to be awakened by the next batch of awful children.”   
“How do we stop it?!” Reggie demanded.   
“Is that what happened to you?” Esther asked quietly.

Butt Witch’s head snapped up. She stared at Esther, before jumping off of the rock and continuing on into the jungle wordlessly.

_Yes_.


	2. Snek + Biblical first woman

Todd got stuck with babysitting duty after his date with Gwen, so he had to wait until the Jennifers were asleep. Once he was safely back in his room – only his room now—he pulled out the key. Nothing happened. He said the magic words. Nothing happened.

The only thing left to do was call Reggie—hopefully she or Esther could get him in?  
The phone rang, and rang, and rang. Just before it dropped the call, Dustin picked up. “Hello? Is this about my podcast…?”  
“Dustin, where’s Reggie?” Todd asked.  
“Oh, God, it’s you. In her room, I guess? Didn’t come out for dinner or anything…”  
“Can you go check on her?” Todd asked.

Dustin snorted. “What trouble can she get into in her room?” Then he hung up.  
Todd then tried Esther’s house. After the second ring, a woman picked up. “Dr. Hopkins speaking. Is this an emergency?”  
“Hi, ma’am. You probably don’t know me, but I’m Esther’s friend. My name’s Todd…?”  
“Oh. Well, I’m not sure if Esther is here right now. Probably staying over at the other one’s house. What was her name? Rachel?”  
“I called Reggie’s house, and I don’t think she’s there either.” Todd squirmed in his seat.

Dr Hopkins sounded muffled as she called, “Harold! Where’s Esther?”  
There was a pause, then Dr. Hopkins said, “She’s in her room. I’ll check on her soon though. Thank you, Tim.”  
“It’s Todd—“ The line went dead.

Todd sat down on Aaron’s bed. “It’s fine, right? They’re fine. They’re just on Endless. Alone. And I can’t get in—can they get out? Oh God…”  
He picked up the phone again. This time, on the first ring, it picked up.  
“Y’llo?” Aaron said.  
“Aaron? I’m… I’m scared.” Todd admitted.

“What about?” Todd could hear Aaron tuning his guitar in the background.  
“I think Reggie and Esther are… trapped… somewhere, and no one seems to care. I can’t get in to help them, and I don’t think anyone else can either. I don’t even think people would believe me if I said…”  
“Mm… maybe they’ll make their way out. TV says the police won’t bother looking for people for two days, maybe there’s some merit to that.” Aaron said.

“It’s just so much.” Todd said quietly. “I can’t do it all alone—”  
“You’re not supposed to do it all alone. I’m… I’m sorry I can’t be there for you and the girls. But at least Reggie and Esther have their own families, and you can always come up here, y’know?”  
Todd lay flat on his back. “I guess.”

Aaron was silent for a minute. “I guess that was the wrong thing for me to say. Look, Todd, you’re not supposed to have to shoulder this kind of thing alone. And I will help and support you however I can, but some things we have to leave for like, the police. Love ya, little bro.”  
“Love you too.” Todd said quietly.

In Endless, Reggie was using an uprooted tree to pat down dirt while Esther lassoed leaves and the Butt Witch sewed them together to create an approximation of a tent.  
“You’re really good at that.” Esther said to Butt Witch.  
“I know.” Butt Witch said proudly.  
Reggie scoffed, finally tossing the tree into the storm. “Why’re we even stopping if it’s so urgent, Butt Witch?”

“Not my name.” Butt Witch growled, cutting the thread with her sharp teeth. “And you can go charging off if you want, but the only way to stay sane on Endless is to sleep.”  
“You’re not sane.” Reggie huffed, before sitting on the ground, legs splayed out in front of her and arms supporting her from the back.

Butt Witch growled, but didn’t comment.  
“So… who wants to play ‘Truth or Dare’?” Esther said.  
“I dare Twelve to go die in a hole.” Butt Witch said quickly.  
“Yeah?! Well, I dare _you_—”  
“I meant telling truths.” Esther said before it could get worse. “How about you go first, Miss Sinclair?”  
“That’s not—what did… truth or dare is a game for _children_.” Butt Witch finally sneered, trying to hide the momentary shock.

“What, and you’re how old? I bet you’re an old cat lady.” Reggie stuck out her tongue, despite not really wanting to play truth or dare either. “I bet you smell like cats and butts in the real world, and that’s why you came to Endless.”  
“I’m going to unhinge my jaw and eat you whole one day.” Butt Witch replied. “But at least you don’t ask difficult questions. Never change that aspect of yourself, Twelve. Change everything else.”  
“Hey!” Reggie pushed herself off of the ground as Butt Witch grabbed sticks to prop up the tent and Esther hammered in the ends of the leaves.

“So, if your surname is Sinclair, what’s your first name?” Esther said hurriedly.  
Butt Witch groaned. “You see? _Difficult questions_. You can’t just expect me to say, ‘hello, my name is Eve Sinclair, and I’m here to destroy what you’ve done to my lovely island’.”  
“Eve?” Reggie said, since prodding at Butt Witch was more fun than just yelling at each other.

Butt Witch retreated under the tent, and Reggie and Esther followed. “It’s… short for something.” Butt Witch scrunched up her face, trying to remember. “Whatever. It _does not_ matter now, is that clear?” She curled up and pulled out her eyemask, signaling that she was done with the conversation.  
“Where was she keeping that?” Reggie muttered to Esther, who shrugged.

_She opened her eyes to see Big Deal standing over Her with a box from a bakery. “Hello, ma’am! I went out early to get these for you!” _  
_And indeed, those were her favorite apple turnovers. She thought they stopped making those shortly before She left… She accepted the box._  
_ “This is wonderful.” Praise would be his thanks._

_Big Deal sat down on the lush bed with Her. “Any idea what you want to do today, ma’am?” _  
_“Oh, you know, the general mayhem. I hate those disgusting creatures clogging up my island, I wish they’d all just disappear.”_  
_ She looked around. Big Deal was gone. She looked at the island from above, and couldn’t find him. “Big-Big Deal?” She hated the way Her voice cracked._

_She remembered the box, and opened it. It was full of sand. _  
_Suddenly She was back in the jungle. She peeked out of the bushes, to see Big Deal playing with the other miscreants._  
_ “Big Deal! There you are! Let’s go home—”_  
_ Big Deal threw the beach ball at the woman with knives for hands. Surprisingly, she caught it. “I’m not going with you.”You wished me away. _  
_ “Wh—why not?!” She glared at Knife-Hands Woman._

_“He’s outgrown you.” Knife-Hands Woman said, morphing into Twelve. The terrible child threw the beach ball at Her face. It exploded into clumps of stale glitter. She dug some out of her eye. “Excuse me?! I’m an adult, no one outgrows me!” _  
_Twelve turned into something forgotten that She couldn’t quite place. “Oh really?”_  
_ “Yes!” She stamped Her foot._

_The forgotten thing turned back to Big Deal. “Then maybe you’ve outgrown him. Aren’t you too old for toys Xxxxxx?” _  
_Her name sounded like static in the forgotten thing’s mouth._  
_ “He’s not a toy!” She screamed. “Give him back! He’s a person--!”_  
_ “No, he’s not.” The forgotten thing grew to a massive height, and picked up Big Deal effortlessly. He went limp in their hands. “You’ve been a naughty girl, Xxxxxx. I know what you’ve been doing at school. I think you’ll have to be punished.”_

_“Don’t hurt him!” She screamed, tiny again, as the forgotten thing began to squeeze. _  
_There were overlapping voices from the forgotten thing, and She realized it might be many forgotten things._  
_ “He was never real to begin with.”_  
_ “Boys don’t want girls who think, Xxxxxx.”_  
_ “You’re just a child!”_  
_ “…playing dress up…? Who does She think She is?”_  
_ “She’s such a slut!”_  
_ “Sinclair’s flair is that she shows her underwear, hahaha. That’s all she’s good for.”_

_She stared at Big Deal. “I’m sorry, ma’am.”  
“No!” She screamed. CRUNCH. _

She bolted upright, screaming.


	3. Butt Witch's creative outlet is fashion and makeup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not like Butt Witch CARES about these terrible children or anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey so Reggie breaks her leg and it has to be set. Just skip the part where Butt Witch puts the ponytail into her mouth until Esther comes back okay? It's really quick, just a sentence, but I don't want to scare anyone.

“What gives? You want us to sleep, then start screaming?” Reggie muttered, wiping at her eyes.  
“Did you have a nightmare?” Esther asked gently.  
“What? No! I love nightmares! I just had a terrible dream about… you children ruining my island! Bleagh!” Butt Witch spat, standing up and nearly banging her head on a support beam. Grumbling, she crawled out of the tent.

Outside, the wind was stronger than ever. Butt Witch poked her head back in the tent. “We—by which I mean me, I don’t care if either of you die—need to find the eye sooner rather than later.”  
Reggie and Esther blearily followed her. Butt Witch watched them walk along for a moment, then grabbed Reggie’s shoulders and shook her. “_Wake up_.”

“What’s your problem, Butt Witch?!” Reggie demanded.  
Butt Witch huffed and crossed her arms. “Unbelievable. A _thank you_ would be nice—wandering around Endless in a purge half asleep is a uniquely terrible idea.”  
Reggie glared at her. “Don’t touch me again.”  
“The fact that I was able to grab you at all should worry you about your reflexes.” Butt Witch sneered. “Disgusting child. You probably got jam all over my hands.” She made a show of wiping them off on her catsuit.

“OKAY!” Esther finally said. “Time out, guys! Let’s just try to get to the eye as fast as we can, okay?”  
“Fine by me.” Reggie muttered.  
“Isn’t that what I’ve been saying?” Butt Witch remarked offhandedly.

They continued mostly in silence. They passed another of Colin’s barns, but they were getting close to the peak of the volcano.  
“…please tell me we’re not going to jump in.” Esther said before they crested the lip to view the basin.  
“Yeah, I thought the whole point of this was so we didn’t get stuck like you did.” Reggie pointed out, helping Esther climb as flying would have sent her off into the void overhead.

“I didn’t get into the volcano last time. It is, however, probably the only way to access the inner island from here.” Butt Witch said with an air of authority. In all honesty, she didn’t really know any more than they did.

They crested the lip of the volcano, to find that all of the green goop was simply gone. In the volcano’s basin, there was a drain. Butt Witch nodded as if she had expected to find it there (she hadn’t), and they slid into the caldera. Reggie pulled the drain cover off, and jumped down first. There was silence, then a great CLANG.  
“Reggie, are you okay?!” Esther called.  
“Yeah, but you better fly down.” Reggie called. “Ow…”  
Esther went first, flying down on her energy scooter. Butt Witch then followed, scuttling down the walls with multiple limbs.

Esther’s energy scooter had lit up the dark tunnel they were now in, and Esther was kneeling by Reggie as best she could. Butt Witch scuttled closer, then retracted some limbs. Reggie’s left leg was bent at an unnatural angle, and she was trying to stifle tears.  
“I wish we’d thought to bring the tent. It might have helped us wrap it.” Butt Witch muttered to herself.

“Isn’t there anything you can do? You’re the adult here!” Esther said, her voice growing unusually loud. She couldn’t get off the scooter or they’d be in the dark, but Reggie needed help.  
“I…?” Butt Witch held a hand to her chest, just barely able to keep from looking around.  
“Yeah, you see any other stinky ol’ Butt Witches around?” Reggie tried to sit up a bit, but in doing so shifted her leg. She screamed in pain.  
Butt Witch shifted closer, then looked at Esther. “You, child with difficult questions. Go find cloth and sticks of some kind. Something she can use as crutches as well. I can see in the dark.”  
Esther looked between Reggie and Butt Witch worriedly.

“Now!” Butt Witch hissed.  
“I’ll be in earshot, okay Reggie? You’re not going to be alone.” Esther said quickly, before heading off into the now horizontal tunnel.  
“Can you really see in the dark?” Reggie asked.  
“Well enough. I can’t see your tears though.”

“Wh--! I’m not _crying_!”  
“I can smell them, though.” Butt Witch sighed. “It’s… difficult, with the smell of blood ruining everything.”  
“Oh. I’m sorry me getting hurt was such an _inconvenience_.” Reggie huffed.  
“Mm.” Butt Witch looked around the tunnel, before saying, “I’m going to put your ponytail in your mouth.”  
“Ew! What? Why?” Reggie demanded.

“Because you’re going to need something to bite down on, and you’ll bite through flesh if I let you bite yourself. Or me, but that’s not going to happen.” Butt Witch said distractedly.  
“And I won’t bite through _hair_?”  
“It’s better than you biting through your tongue.” Butt Witch said, before promptly moving Reggie’s ponytail so she was biting it. Before Reggie could spit it out, Butt Witch grabbed Reggie’s leg. In one fluid movement, she realigned the bone to where it should be.

Reggie screamed. Esther came zooming back around, her arms full of old cloth and metal parts that clattered to the ground. “Reggie! Are you okay?! What did she do?!”  
Butt Witch examined her nails. “I realigned the bone.”  
“My mom’s a doctor, I could have helped.” Esther said, pressing a hand to Reggie’s head. “Reggie, did you… is that hair?”  
“Wasn’t anything else around for me to bite down on.” Reggie finally said, spitting out strands of hair. “…thanks, Eve.”

“You’re welcome, and that’s not… wait, why are you calling me by my name?” Butt Witch demanded. “Is this some new ploy? I won’t fall for it, Twelve.”  
“Reggie. I’m Reggie.” She pointed at Esther. “And that’s Esther. I guess you're not so bad, for a stinky ol' Butt Witch.”  
“Sorry I didn’t introduce myself before.” Esther said, scratching the back of her head and looking anywhere but at the Butt Witch. “Um… can I help tie up her leg? I could use the practice for a first aid course I have coming up. Did you… is that where you learned…?”

“No.” Butt Witch said. “To the second one, I was counting on the first. I… don’t remember where I learned it, and quite honestly, thinking about my past is something I don’t want to do right now. She needs bandages.”

“Oh, right, of course!” Esther lit up the room with her lasso, and started laying bits of metal next to Reggie’s leg for an approximate splint.  
Butt Witch examined the material, then looked at the cloth. It was old and faded, but a bright purple zebra pattern was still clearly visible. “Where did you get this?”  
“In the next room!” Esther chirped.

Butt Witch pushed herself off of the ground on shaky legs. In the next room, which was really more like a cavern, there were various homes and people. All of them were dressed like rock stars, but mostly looked like mannequins. Some of them openly looked robotic, in a way that Rosie from the Jetsons looked vaguely human. Some of them were dissembled where Esther had grabbed their parts to help Reggie. None of them moved. The only light in the room was from somewhere within the robots and mannequins, behind their eyes.

Butt Witch sank to her knees. “Look at you all…”  
Esther caught up with her. “Are you okay, Miss Sinclair?”  
“They were so close to being brought up, to coming back to me…” Butt Witch muttered to herself.  
Reggie yelled from the other room. “HEY! A LITTLE HELP HERE?!”  
Esther turned back to help her up, and the Butt Witch closed her eyes. Neither noticed that the lights behind the robots’ eyes grew stronger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all know you can find me on tumblr as notherefortheanonhate (90% of you have probably COME from tumblr) but also shoutout to toydrill on tumblr who drew me some SUPER COOL FANART that I CANNOT stop looking at of the last chapter and also has been supporting this fic so much thank you thank you thank you


	4. Butt Witch is fine, the year the age was changed to 21 was 1984

It turns out, the two day wait only counted when it wasn’t children and it wasn’t Bethune, where nothing much happened. Todd was brought into the police station the next morning. As he walked in, he saw an incredibly tired looking Ms Abbott, a guilty looking Dustin fiddling with his headphones but not listening to them, and two people he could only assume were Esther’s parents. They looked slightly more polished than Ms Abbott, but the woman had make up tracks on her face from where she cried. The man looked like he’d aged a lot in just one day.

Ms Abbott saw him first, and gave him a weak smile. “Hey, Todd. Thanks for coming in.”  
“No problem, Ms. Abbott.” Todd said quietly.  
She patted his hand. “I know you’re gonna tell them everything you know. They’re coming home soon, okay?”  
Todd swallowed. “Okay.”

“Todd? We’re ready for you now.” A policewoman said, giving him another gentle smile. He was led into an interview room. Todd tried not to squirm, knowing this was where they sat _criminals_ down and made them talk.  
The policewoman stated her name and the date for the camera in the corner, before sitting down across from Todd. “So, Todd, at 8:37 you called the Abbott household, right? And then immediately called the Hopkins household after your talk with Dustin Abbott ended? Why were you trying to reach Esther and Regina?”

Todd took a deep breath. “I… hadn’t heard from either of them since school.”  
“Do you three always talk after school?” The policewoman asked.  
Todd shrugged. “Kind of? I just… I felt like something was wrong. Like I couldn’t get to them.”  
The policewoman folded her hands under her chin. “So you called their houses to make sure?”

“I was trying to reach both of them, but neither picked up.” Todd added.  
“Hmm. How do you normally talk to them after school?” The policewoman asked.  
Oh God. “I… there’s a place we like to play, sometimes? I was calling to see if either of them were there.” Todd replied.  
“And where is this place?”

“Oh you know. In the woods.” Todd said off-handedly, (or at least trying to be off-handed) before saying, “I checked there though. There was no sign of them.”  
“When did you check?” The policewoman asked. “The official timeline has you on a date with… Gwendolyn Stevens? Until 6pm, and then at home watching your sisters before the call to the Abbott house.”

“I, uh, I snuck out. And checked then.” Todd said.  
The policewoman raised an eyebrow. “You snuck out, leaving your sisters alone, aware that there might be some sort of child predator around?”  
Todd nodded shakily.  
The policewoman folded her hands underneath her chin. “Todd, I want to find Regina and Esther as much as you do. But you have to help me. Is there a chance they were abducted from this place in the woods that you mentioned? If you help me, give me a coherent timeline, show us the place…”

“They’re not there, they haven’t been there in a while.” Todd said quickly. “I… maybe they got snatched on the way there?”  
“Hmm.” The policewoman arranged pictures of Reggie and Esther on the table. “How have they been able to get to this place? Ms. Abbott mentioned that Regina usually remained in her room…?”  
“She snuck out.” Todd replied. “We… we all snuck out.”  
“Mm… thank you for your help, Todd.” The policewoman finally said. “I’ll call you back if I have more questions.”  
“Okay.” Todd got up to leave.

The policewoman didn’t. “Is there some reason you don’t want Regina and Esther to be found, Todd?”  
“I want them to be found!” Todd said immediately, his hand recoiling from the doorknob.  
“Then why are you lying to me so badly, Todd?” The policewoman asked. “We were looking at this as though both girls were taken by a child predator, your involvement is only to help us piece together a timeline. Where are the girls, Todd?”  
“I don’t know!”

“I think you do.” The policewoman said. “I think you know exactly where they are.”  
“I don’t!” Todd said. “And even if I did, I can’t get in!”  
“Why’s that, Todd?”

Todd took a deep breath, before sitting back down. “This is going to sound nuts. We… there’s this place called ‘Endless’. It’s in another dimension or something. We all have our own keys to get in.” He took off his key and placed it on the table. “It’s… closed off right now, or something. Reggie and Esther are trapped in there.”  
The policewoman gently picked up his key. “Your first lie was better.”  
“I’m not lying!” Todd huffed. “We… there’s this kid in there. Elmer… Deetz, I think. He’s been in there since 1955, when his mother died and he was put in an orphanage. How would I know about that if Endless wasn’t real?”

“Supposing it is true, what am I supposed to tell the parents out there?” The policewoman asked. “’Your daughters are in a parallel dimension, and we can’t get in to help them’? How does that help anyone, Todd?”  
“That’s the truth, I don’t know what else to tell you.” Todd replied. “I just… if we leave them in there too long, they might lose themselves. Esther and I almost did over Spring Break, when Reggie was in the hospital. We were in Endless for five _days_… check if you want, but there was no actual ‘Art Camp’ like we said.”

“You’ve given me a lot of things to think about, Todd.” The policewoman said. “May I keep this?”  
“No!” Todd said quickly. “I… if Endless lets me back in, I need it to get to them. I need to make sure they don’t lose their minds like Elmer did.”  
“Mm.” The policewoman handed back the key though. “I think we’re done here.”

Ms Abbott had to drop Dustin off at school, so she gave Todd a lift. On the way back from the police station, they passed an old, dilapidated house. Todd swore he saw an old woman’s face in the window. “Who lives there?”  
“Hmm? Oh, that’s the Sinclair house.” Ms Abbott said distractedly. “When I was about ten, the daughter—Evelyn Sinclair—disappeared into thin air. God that must have been… what, 1975? Everyone said she ran off, but…”

“Her mom _obviously_ murdered her.” Dustin said.  
“Dustin!” Ms Abbott hissed.  
“How old was she?” Todd asked.  
“Oh, she must have been about 19 at the time. Ask Kathy, she was closer in age to Evelyn Sinclair than I was.” Ms Abbott said.  
Everyone fell silent, Reggie’s absence weighing on them.   
“I’m… sure she’s living her best life. Wherever she is.” Ms Abbott finally said.

On Endless, Reggie and Esther had finally joined Butt Witch in the cavern.  
“Whoa, what’s with all the robots?” Reggie said.  
“This was _my_ Endless.” The Butt Witch said proudly, spinning her arms to show it off. “A haven for the most _sophisticated_ tastes.”  
Esther dubiously eyed the face paint on the mannequins and the fabrics on the robots, but wisely didn’t say anything.

“Eve?” A creaky voice asked. The Butt Witch whipped around. The lights in the cavern became brighter, houses and shops began to light up as well.  
“Ronaldo, it’s been too long.” She cooed. The robot bent to kiss her hand. “Of course it has. We’ve missed your mature touch around… _what_ are _those_?”

“They’re your buddy’s legs, and now they’re my crutches.” Reggie replied. “Hi, I’m Twelve.”  
“I’m sure you are.” The robot looked disgusted. “_Eve_, have you brought _children_ in here? And here I thought you were _above_ play dates, isn’t that what you told me?”  
Butt Witch scoffed. “Ronaldo, babysitting isn’t the same as a play date. Besides, we’re busy right now.”

Ronaldo glided around to the front of her as she tried to walk away. “Oh? Too busy for _old_ friends? Busy hanging out with your little _baby_ friends?”  
“Esther, can you kick him for me?” Reggie asked.  
“What?! I’m not gonna kick him!” Esther hissed.  
“_Lame_.” Reggie replied.

The Butt Witch rubbed her temples. “Fine, I have time for _one_ drink with you and the others, but that’s it.”  
“Endless serves alcohol?” Esther asked, surprised.  
Ronaldo scoffed. “Well, not to _you_, you’re too _young_. You can’t enter the club without appropriate identification, you know.”  
“So what are we supposed to do while you go _drinking_?!” Reggie demanded.  
“Figure it out.” Ronaldo said, looping an arm around Butt Witch’s shoulders to steer her towards a place with a label now lit up, ‘Chintzy’s’. She pushed off his arm, and he looked vaguely hurt.

Butt Witch turned back to the kids. “…keep Reggie’s leg elevated when you can. I mean, it’s no skin off my back if she’s in pain, but, you know.”  
Esther smiled. “I do know.”  
Reggie scoffed as Ronaldo and Butt Witch walked away. “Turns out she’s still a Butt Witch.”

Esther propped up Reggie’s leg as robots and mannequins began making their way into Chintzy’s. “I don’t know… this makes a lot of sense. Your Endless is all about how you’re super cool as a kid, hers is all about how she’s super cool as an adult. She’s not so bad, you know.”  
Reggie crossed her arms. “She’s abandoning us to go hang out with _robots_ when Endless is trying to _kill_ us. They’re not even _cool_ robots! They’re jerks!”

“I don’t know…” Esther said. “I think we should talk to her about it when she comes out…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *banging pots and pans together* please give me feedback I crave validation like a drug and I need to know if this chapter is working for y'all or if it is BAD and Todd content in this story is NOT DESIRED


	5. FINALLY the ButtDeal content appears

Inside the nightclub, Butt Witch sat down at the bar. Patrons began to file in, closing her off from the door, but she either didn’t notice or didn’t care.   
“Eve! Haven’t seen you in a while!” The bartender mannequin said, flashing a fake smile.   
“The usual, Paul.” Butt Witch said.   
“One Happy Memory, comin’ right up!” Paul said. “Ooh, we just got in some fresh ones…” A green cup slid into her hand. The mannequins and robots watched voraciously, some of them slobbering at the idea of watching her memories.

She took a sip. “This is… sweeter than usual.”   
“Don’t like it?” Paul asked, watching her just as hungrily.   
She swirled the drink in the cup, before tossing it back. “No, it’s good.”

The mannequins stilled for a moment as they, like Butt Witch, relived the memory.

A few days before the mass disappearance of the denizens of Endless, she woke up. Big Deal was humming to himself, making what appeared to be French toast. She listened for a few minutes, then flopped back on the bed, pretending to be asleep as he turned around.   
“Ma’am? I made breakfast.” Big Deal said.   
She made a big show of stretching. “What is it now?”

“It’s something Mack and Beefhouse recommended.” Big Deal said, watching for her reaction.   
It was delicious. “Adequate.” She muttered around a mouthful of it.   
Big Deal grinned, recognizing the praise for what it was.   
“When have you been hanging around those two?” She continued suspiciously, still eating the breakfast.

“Oh, you know, when Twelve’s not around. I’m uh… gathering reconnaissance.”   
She narrowed her eyes. It was obviously a lie, but one she could stand very well as an excuse. “Very well, do you want to… _ugh_, gather reconnaissance later today? Together?”   
Big Deal’s face lit up, before he tried to hide it. “Ma’am?”   
“Well, we need to know their weaknesses…” Butt Witch fiddled with a thread on her blanket. “And once we take over the island, we might as well make them bow to our will.” She wasn’t going to try to outright eradicate them again. Not after what happened last time, to both of them. “Who knows, they might even make good servants.”

Big Deal was very good at seeing through her. He buzzed around happily as she finished eating, then flew her out of their shared home. “First stop, the beach! Oh, ma’am, you can finally get some vitamin D, I’ve been so worried!”   
“My vitamin quantity is accurate.” Butt Witch huffed, but she didn’t say much else. He landed them at the beach, where other miscreants were playing volleyball.

“Hey guys, where’s Twelve?” Big Deal asked fearfully.   
Pretty Please nearly spiked it at their heads. “She and the others are apparently ‘studying’ for a ‘test’. They’re not coming today.”   
“Hah! A whole day without Twelve!” Butt Witch crowed. “Small yellow creature, throw me that volleyball! _I’ll_ serve!”

She and Big Deal won, mostly because of her.   
“Hohoho, what little fools you all were! You will never rise from the ashes of your defeat at my hands!” She chuckled, mostly to herself.  
“Whoa, Ma’am, we really worked up a sweat!” Big Deal said. “Let’s go get some soda.”   
People watched them warily as they sat down in the beach soda shack area. “I will have Diet soda, as it is more _mature_ than…” Butt Witch squinted at the newly printed menu (odd since most of the Endless residents weren’t interested in the schooling to become literate). Emblazoned in the corner was a picture of a grinning Twelve, saying, ‘Twelve’s Favorite: Bubblegum Mango Cola!’ “That.” Butt Witch finished.

“Okay, ma’am!” Big Deal said happily, before getting two sodas for them and sitting down across from her. “Wow, this is like a real date!”   
“Don’t forget the _reconnaissance_.” She hissed, flushing at his words. A _date_. Dates for her usually… wait, she’d been on dates before?   
Big Deal bobbed his head, then looked a big drag of his root beer float. “Do you, uh, want to do reconnaissance… on the mountain, and… watch stuff? There’s no sunset but…”

“No need, we can people watch here.” She said. She pointed at Senor Corduroy. “That man is sad because his wife is having an affair, so he has turned to the drink instead! Haha!”   
“I… don’t think he’s married.” Big Deal said, looking from her to Senor Corduroy.   
“It’s… you make up stories about them.” She said. “You try.”

“Uh… okay!” Big Deal said, before pointing at Galaxander. “He’s planning his wedding and he’s very happy. They’re going to have flower garlands all over, and Twelve will officiate!”   
“That sounds disgusting, but you get the idea.” She said. “…why would Twelve officiate?”   
“Because… she’s the most powerful person on the island?” Big Deal said.

“Hardly. She needs both her little pals to beat me.” Butt Witch huffed. “But… an idea is coming to me. Big Deal, let’s plan a wedding!”   
“Wh—ma’am?” Big Deal asked as she grabbed his hand.   
“If we fool Twelve into officiating, we’d have the perfect opportunity to get rid of her once and for all!” Butt Witch announced, standing on the table.

“Uh… and who’s getting married, ma’am?” Big Deal looked around as people began to stare.   
“I don’t care about that… we could do it for all I care.” Butt Witch waved her hand. “Big Deal, take care of wedding preparations, _I_ will lay a trap for Twelve!”   
“Ma’am, isn’t that going a little fast? This is our first date.”

“Alright, put it on the backburner for now.” She said, getting off of the table. She looked around at the assembled toys, who were still staring. “What are you looking at?”   
“Big Deal’s getting married!” One of them squealed.   
Big Deal flushed. “I-in the future! No need to rush things!”   
“I am tired now.” Butt Witch said. “Let’s go, Big Deal. My stories are on!” And off they flew. The memory began to fade out, though one last burst remained; later that night, she was tossing and turning.

“Big Deal!” She finally yelled.   
“Ma’am?” He answered sleepily. Apparently, now that he had made it a habit, it was quite addictive.   
“I can hear you rolling around in there. Come down here this instant!” She said.

“Okay, ma’am…” He flew down to her bed.   
“Make yourself comfortable. Or don’t. I don’t care.” She said.   
He was quickly asleep, and she took the opportunity to drape an arm over him instead of maneuvering her pillow into awkward positions. Though she’d never admit it, she was quickly asleep too, and snuggled up to him unconsciously.

It was at this point that the memory dissipated, and Paul the bartender tried to slide her another drink. Unfortunately, Esther grabbed that one with a lariat and smashed it on the floor.   
“How did you children get in here?” Ronaldo snarled.   
To be fair, Chintzy’s was missing a fourth wall. Esther and Reggie had very much just wandered in. Reggie jerked a thumb back at the wall, then said to Butt Witch, “Eve, let’s _goooo_. You’re taking even longer than Dustin and his stupid podcasts about mole men living under the Earth’s crust or whatever!”

“It was just one drink.” Butt Witch scoffed.   
“You were gone for _hours_.” Esther said.   
“Hours…?” Butt Witch frowned, as if she was trying to remember.   
“Eve… drink up!” Ronaldo wheedled, laying an arm over her shoulder again.   
Butt Witch was still and silent for a moment.

“Butt Witch, c’mon! We gotta save Endless!” Reggie said.   
“Butt Witch?” She hissed, turning her full attention to the girls. The glass shattered in her hand, and suddenly Ronaldo was flying through the door of Chintzy’s. The light in the robots’ eyes turned red.   
Butt Witch turned into her multi-limbed form, throwing more robots hither and yon. Esther joined in with her lasso.

“Get on, I’m only going to say it once.” Butt Witch huffed.   
The girls didn’t need to be told twice. Reggie punched their way to Butt Witch, and Esther helped her up. Then the three escaped into the rest of the tunnel as the robots began to follow them. Esther tried pulling down rocks from above with her lasso, and Reggie occasionally punched the wall to help dislodge them. Eventually, an avalanche was triggered, crushing a good portion of the robots and trapping others away from the trio.

“Don’t expect me to thank you two. I haven’t seen my Endless in _years_.” Butt Witch said. “Even if it _was_ virtually a lair of the lotus eaters.”   
Esther frowned, and looked at Reggie. “…maybe it still is.”   
“Who eats lotuses?” Reggie scoffed. “Flowers taste weird anyway.”   
“No, it’s… it’s a reference to a book. A really, really old book.” Esther said gently.

“That makes sense, considering the Butt Witch is super old.” Reggie said, clearly still mad about being abandoned for hours.   
“Better ‘super old’ than a literal baby.” Butt Witch replied, but she didn’t make a thing about that in particular. She did try to shoot Reggie a look over her shoulder without running into a wall though. “And you know for a fact my name isn’t _Butt Witch_, Reginald.”   
“Regina.” Reggie corrected.

“Oh, I’m sorry, _Regina_.” Butt Witch grinned. “What an adult and _mature_ name.”   
Reggie flopped onto her back. “Ughhh you sound like my mom!”   
“And you sound like a brat.” Butt Witch shot back.

Esther glanced back at the disappearing landslide in the distance as they scuttled on. Endless was beginning to get worrying, and she wasn’t necessarily happy to be going this deep in it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Butt Witch voice) Big Deal! Make sure those terrible children leave comments!


	6. Todd Does some Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Solid Butt Witch lore by me with no sign of actual Butt Witch in this chapter (just her mom (Butt Hag?))

Word traveled fast in Bethune. Everyone at school already knew Reggie and Esther were missing. A lot of them gave Todd weird looks, or looks of pity. Some of them came up to ask where Reggie and Esther were—he’s gotta know, right?

Class was subdued because it was obviously weighing on the teachers’ minds as well. Mr. Fleming was perpetually pale and unable to focus on any work, he just kept twisting bits of clay in his hands. Todd knew the feeling—not knowing what was happening to Reggie and Esther, knowing they were probably in trouble.

Everything else was almost robotic. Gwen ate lunch with him, and tried to keep up a cheery conversation. It didn’t really work.   
Finally, Rodney came up to Todd during lunch while Gwen was in the bathroom. “You auditioned for Cherry Cement, yeah? Esther—that’s the chick—you’re her bro?”   
“I know who Esther is.” Todd replied, feeling his shoulders tense.

Rodney sat down across from him. “Aw, tight. You hang out with two chicks, so I wasn’t sure you knew what I meant.”   
“Rodney, what do you want?” Todd asked.   
“I was thinking… if Esther doesn’t come back—she’s not coming back, right? Word on the street is she got murdered and dismembered and everything—do you want to play guitar for Cherry Cement?”   
Blood rushed to Todd’s ears. “She’s coming back.”

“Uh…? She got murdered and dismembered and everything? I heard it from Daniel Pitowski, are you saying he’s a liar? I can’t have you calling Danny Pits a liar if you’re gonna be in the band, man.”   
“I don’t _care_ about your band! Esther and Reggie are going to come back, and they’re going to be _fine_!” Todd hissed, standing up.

Everyone was staring. It was making Todd’s head swim. _They’re coming back, they’re coming back, they’re coming back_.   
“Cherry Cement’s gonna be the next big thing!” Rodney said affrontedly.   
Todd was about to retort, when he vomited instead.

Thankfully he missed Rodney (barely, he was kind of aiming at him). He was about to say something clever when he fainted. He woke up a few seconds later to Rodney standing over him. “Whoa… I’ll help you to the nurse.”

He helped Todd up, and looped Todd’s arm over his shoulder.   
“…is Cherry Cement really not going to be great?” Rodney asked.   
“It’s the name, man. The name sucks.” Todd said weakly.   
“Oh, dang. Thanks for your honesty, man. Maybe I’ll name it ‘Rod and the Todds’?”   
“Don’t—don’t name it that.”

“Okay. Sorry about saying that stuff about Esther. I hope she’s okay.” Rodney said awkwardly. “I’ll, uh… I’ll tell Danny Pits not to say that stuff.”   
“Thanks.”   
“Sorry you can’t be in the band, since she’s coming back and all.” Rodney offered.

Todd gave him a weak thumbs up with his free hand.   
They reached the nurse’s office. She eventually decided it was because of all the stress Todd was under, and sent him home. Donna was somewhat sympathetic, but she had to run. For once, Todd had the house to himself. Weird, he’d usually go to Endless at this point, sick or not.

He turned on the TV. It was pictures of Reggie and Esther side by side. It cut to Ms Abbott and Esther’s parents crying and begging for their daughters back. “If anyone has any news, please contact the Bethune police department.” Dr. Hopkins sobbed, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.

Todd turned off the TV.   
He lay on the couch for a bit before pulling on his coat and leaving. That weird old lady he saw earlier might at least be able to distract him, right? He retraced his path to school to find her house, and rang the doorbell. He saw the curtains move.

Suddenly, the door flew open. “Have you found my Evelyn?”   
“Uh… no?” Todd said.   
The woman sighed. “Fine, come in before they see you.”

“Before… who sees me?” Todd followed her in, increasingly aware of this being a bad idea. Most of the furniture was covered in sheets, and there was dust everywhere. The carpet was worn with thirty years of Mrs. Sinclair’s steps trod in.   
“The Meadows family!” Mrs. Sinclair hissed. “Stupid boy! They’re the ones who took my Evelyn!”

“How do you know that?” Todd asked. They passed pictures of a girl who must have been the famous Evelyn. Something about her was familiar to Todd…   
Mrs. Sinclair cast a glance back at him. “They run the town, boy. Noting happens here without them knowing. That’s how it’s always been, that’s how it always will be.”

She pulled out a chair at a covered dining table and made motions for him to sit. “I’ll go put on some tea.”   
“Oh, that’s okay.” Todd said.   
Mrs. Sinclair fixed him with a Look. “I’ll put on some tea.”   
“Okay then…” Todd said as she bustled away to what he hoped desperately was the kitchen. He took the opportunity to look around. It had obviously been a grand dining room, once. There was a chandelier overhead, and more pictures of this Evelyn girl lined the walls. Todd drifted closer.

She was always wearing dresses that it looked like the Jennifers would wear on the rare occasion that his dad was home in time to go to the synagogue. In one, there looked almost like her body was developing curves and she was about his age, but in other ones, even when she obviously towered over her mother, it looked like she was as flat as well… him. She looked even more uncomfortable in those pictures. The last picture was very different.

Instead of the pretty, frilly dresses, she was wearing a miniskirt and leggings with a t-shirt and jean jacket. Her body was clearly visible under the clothes. Todd frowned—those curves looked weirdly familiar… he looked at her face and nearly took a step back in shock. He knew that scowl. Evelyn Sinclair was the Butt Witch.

“I’m back…!” Mrs. Sinclair called. “Where… oh.”   
She set the tea tray down on the table with a _thunk_, and wandered over. “That’s… the last picture anyone ever took of Evelyn. The police used it as a reference to try and find her. Awful, isn’t it? The way she’s dressed? Showing a body she wasn’t ready for?”   
“I mean… it was her body?” Todd said as diplomatically as possible.   
Mrs. Sinclair glowered. “She was just a little girl! I tried to help her hide her body, so no one would be tempted to take advantage of her, but she threw it away!”

“Right…” Todd said slowly. “Um… so about the Meadows family…?”   
Mrs. Sinclair nodded, and led him back to the table. He was poured a very dusty cup of tea, and she began. “That family is… odd, to say the least. They own most of the town. You know where they built the Captain Cream’s, back in ’45?”   
“It’s that old?” Todd said, instead of the wise answer of ‘yes’.   
“Mm… construction began in ’39, but then the war happened, and it was bought out by another company before it was properly finished. It opened in ’45.” Mrs. Sinclair reminisced.

“So… what about it?”   
“There’s a child buried on the premises.” Mrs. Sinclair said calmly.   
Todd spat out his tea. “_What_?”   
Mrs. Sinclair fixed him with another Look. “That’s where the original Meadows homestead was, built in the 1800s. There was a big scandal when they broke ground on it in ’39 and they found the body. I was about nine when they found her. Eventually, they decided to rebury her there.”

“That’s… horrible.” Todd offered.   
“Mm… to this day, they’re not quite sure about that child, who they really were, but mark my words—the Meadows family is terrible news.”   
“Thank you.” Todd said. “I’ll try to remember that.”   
Mrs. Sinclair nodded, then smiled. Todd tried not to shudder. The last time he’d seen that smile, the Butt Witch had turned him into a shrimp.

“Stay in the sunlight. Don’t want you to die of rickets like that child did.”   
Todd didn’t manage to repress the shudder that time. “Th-thank you? I should get going.”   
Mrs. Sinclair looked out the window. “Oh, yes, you probably should. Don’t want you to go missing like those two girls, do we, boy?”

“No ma’am.” Todd said firmly, nearly running out of the house.   
Mrs. Sinclair looked at his cup and sighed. “He didn’t finish his tea…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rodney was the main band kid, right? Tell me if I'm wrong and I'll change it immediately


	7. Butt Witch's Back Story is Darker than you think

“Eve? May I ask you a question?” Esther asked.   
The Butt Witch turned her head around. “Is the question, ‘may we go to sleep now?’ If so, yes.” She stopped moving, and tilted to the side a bit so that the girls gently slid to the ground. Then she curled around them, much like an animal with its young.

“No… why was your Endless… like that?” Esther asked as Reggie yawned.   
“You’re surprisingly comfortable.” Reggie told the Butt Witch.   
“Like what?” Butt Witch said, purposefully ignoring Reggie.

Esther squirmed. “They… they all wanted to take advantage of you.”   
Butt Witch raised an eyebrow. “And?”   
“It’s not right!” Esther said.   
Butt Witch laughed. “Oh, sweet, young child. Love isn’t real, and it’s definitely not honest. I prefer the open flattery of them wanting me—my body, my mind, my creativity, anything I’d give them—as opposed to the saccharine lies. Bleugh.” She patted Esther on the head, and the two teens exchanged a worried look.

“I… don’t know what to say to that.” Esther replied.   
“Whaddya mean they want your body?” Reggie eyed Butt Witch’s animalistic form. “To ride around on?”   
She turned back into her more humanoid form and stood up. “Stop being deliberately obtuse. I happen to know that children your age know that some people are aesthetically attractive, and that you understand what sex is. You can fill in the blanks from there. I’m not comfortable actually discussing sex with children unprompted.”

Esther blinked. “That… didn’t anyone care about you in… where did you come from?”   
“Same place everyone comes from.” Butt Witch responded, lying down flat on her back. “And yes, they did. They cared enough not to _lie_ about it. I respect such honesty.”   
Esther crawled a bit closer. “My parents are kind of distant, but I know they love me. I’m… sorry?”   
“Don’t be.” Butt Witch rolled onto her side, away from the children. “Just… get some sleep.”   
“Hey, what about Big Deal? Doesn’t he care about you?” Reggie asked.

Butt Witch leaned up on one arm to look at them. “_Don’t_ go there.”   
“He followed you into exile! He cares so much about you!” Esther pushed.

“Pah! You think those brainless imbeciles _care_ if he spends his time with me? No! You three care the most about his affiliation with me and that’s usually when we’re causing trouble!” Butt Witch hissed, waving her hand at them without looking at them.   
“He still likes you though.” Reggie pointed out, folding her hands over her head and kicking her uninjured leg over the one with the splint. “As in, _like-like_.”

“Don’t be infantile.” Butt Witch snapped, curling into herself the way she had earlier curled around them. “When he first saw me, he was taken by lust. A common reaction. He decided to follow me for similar reasons, and now he’s…”   
“But I thought…” Esther trailed off as the Butt Witch’s head finally snapped up to glare at her.   
“I know what you _thought_. You thought, with childlike naivete, that he was telling the truth when he said he loved me. You thought I could be _happy_, and I’d stop causing trouble.” She snorted, turning away again. “Saccharine lies will never contain me, no matter how enticing their coating.”

“Dude, that’s super messed up.” Reggie said.   
“Go to sleep, before I eat you.” Butt Witch grumbled back.

The next morning—as close to morning as they were going to get—Butt Witch allowed them back onto her back on the condition that they didn’t talk about her feelings.   
“So… Reggie… do you have a crush on anyone?” Esther asked. “Is it Todd?”   
“Ew, _no_! Bleugh! Todd’s… Todd!” Reggie gestured widely. “That’s like asking me if I have a crush on Dustin!”

“Okay, it’s just that we never talk about this kind of stuff when he’s here. Y’know, girl stuff.” Esther said.   
Butt Witch twisted her head around. “I never talked about this sort of thing at your age. I’m game! Esther, do you have a crush?”   
Esther chuckled awkwardly. “So there was this dance recently… his name is Sam, and he’s in my math class and sometimes I draw little pictures of us getting married. When we’re older, I mean. I was also thinking we could name our kids Dahlia and Anthony?”

“Disgusting, I love it.” Butt Witch said.   
Reggie made a face. “My crush isn’t anything like that.”   
“You have a crush?!” Esther squealed. “On who? Tell me tell me tell me!”   
Reggie turned bright red. “She’s not…! She’s just a cool eighth grader that’s all! She makes movies behind the school—”   
“Connelly?!” Esther squealed, nearly shaking Reggie. “Oh that’s so sweet you two would be _perfect_ together! The other day Mr. Fleming was talking about you two working together on one of her movies! Have you told her? Can I help you tell her? Can I help you set up a date?”

“Let her breathe, Esther.” Butt Witch said firmly, before they reached a door. She transformed back into her humanoid form, and looked at her nails. “Now, I’ve grown somewhat fond of you two. I no longer wish to completely and utterly destroy you—especially after that stunt you pulled with the rock. I vote _against_ telling either this Connelly girl or this Sam boy about your feelings. Let them come to you! Keep what they want until you are sure of their devotion!”

The girls stared up at her, having been dumped unceremoniously on the floor.   
“Okay, but Reggie, please remember Eve doesn’t have… the most healthy view of relationships.” Esther said.   
Butt Witch scoffed, and pushed the door open. “Excuse me, who has actually had _experience_ with people finding them attractive?”   
“You’re a literal adult.” Reggie pointed out as Esther helped her up.   
Butt Witch was about to lean against the wall in a cool way when they heard a familiar scream from the other side of the door.

“Dr. Champion?” Reggie called. “Are you okay?”   
“DOCTOR? DOCTOR? NO! I’M NOT FAKING IT!” Came a scream from the distance. “DON’T CALL THE DOCTOR!”   
“He seems fine.” Butt Witch noted, though it was hard to pretend to be cool when you had visibly jumped. The three girls filed into the room.

Wooden puppets hung from the ceiling and were propped up against wooden furniture. Wooden houses lined the cavern, each intricately detailed and carved.   
Something crunched under Butt Witch’s foot—when she lifted it, there was a tiny house in splinters underneath. There were tiny models everywhere.

Reggie was back in Esther’s arms, being carried on the energy scooter, so Butt Witch was really the only one to worry. And worry she did—the models were _everywhere_, and they were incredibly creepy. More specifically, the puppets seemed creepy, but the tiny detailed faces of the potential townsfolk weren’t much better. They judged the Butt Witch, and they found her wanting.  
“What _is_ this place?” Reggie wondered.

Butt Witch strode forward, being somewhat careful not to step on anything because of debris getting in her way. “Terrible. No sane person should like puppets this much.”   
“…I think this might be Elmer’s Endless.” Esther said. “The way that the last room was yours, Eve. Remember how he looked like he was turning into a puppet himself, Reggie? Or at least like he was made of wood?”   
Reggie huffed. “Sure I do. Nasty little guy, makes sense that his Endless would be so… creepy.”

“I think it’s kind of charming. It can’t be any worse than Eve’s mannequins, right?” Esther said.   
“What?! Don’t compare my gorgeous adult companions to these garish… _eugh_.” Butt Witch shuddered. “I’ve finally found something worse than your Endless, congratulations.”   
“Hey! Don’t be mean to my Endless!” Reggie wriggled angrily in Esther’s arms, crashing her into Butt Witch. Butt Witch caught them both by their collars as though they were naughty kittens being brought elsewhere by their mother. “Dear, dear.” Butt Witch clucked. “Better watch where you’re going with that, don’t want to crash into Billy the Paul Bunyan knockoff.” She held up both girls so they could make eye contact with a particularly unsettling lumberjack puppet.

“This place is giving me weird ‘It’s A Small World’ vibes.” Esther shuddered.   
“It is, isn’t it?” The Butt Witch didn’t let either of them go, instead carrying them to the edge of the room.   
“…You know what Disneyland is? Didn’t that open in like, 1985?” Reggie asked.   
“Actually, the California park opened in 1955. ‘It’s A Small World’ was only added to the park in 1966, after a stint at the world’s fair.” Esther recited, trying to twist to see Butt Witch. “Did you go to the World’s Fair?”

“Sure, when I was nine.” Butt Witch snorted. “Before I realized the truth about adulthood. I went on the obsequious ride when I was… what, 15? It would have been late 1970… hm…”   
Esther wriggled free while the Butt Witch was lost in her memories. Reggie looked like she was tempted to do the same, but then looked down at her cast.

Butt Witch handed Reggie to Esther as they came to another massive door. This one she kicked open. Like parts of Reggie’s Endless, it was a wonderland of food.   
They could hear Dr Champion screaming unintelligible words in the distance.   
“Wow, he’s fast.” Reggie said.   
“Weirdly so.” Esther agreed. “Um… is anyone else wondering what he’s doing here? I thought all the citizens of Endless were about to be put in storage?”   
Butt Witch stepped into a meringue boat tied to a biscuit dock, bobbing in a chocolate milk river. “No one created in Endless is here, and there’s a third, unanticipated room. I think the answers are linked, don’t you? He definitely knows _something_.”

The girls followed her into the boat.   
“It’s kind of weird knowing he’s a _person_ now.” Reggie said as Butt Witch slashed the licorice rope tying them to the dock. Down the river they headed, following the sounds of Dr. Champion. 


	8. Creepy stuff AND at least one existential crisis? It's more likely than you think

People still stared at Todd the next day at school, and there were still weird whispers. However, no one really wanted to be barfed on, and Rodney and the band were now sitting and talking to Todd with Gwen. It was fine. As fine as it was going to get, anyway.

Todd didn’t take the bus home. The Jennifers were staying after-school for a chance at auditioning in the elementary school play. Obviously, they were going to get in, as elementary school plays are not known for being discerning regarding the talent of children. What Todd _did_ do was head to the Bethune library. It was old, dusty, and mostly empty.

He sat down at one of the clunky computers from the 90s, and began searching the library database. He found numerous newspaper articles—such as one about the child under Captain Cream’s. He then started searching for children disappearing. That was a mistake—the only cases he found relating to Endless were the ones he already knew about. The other ones… let’s just say they didn’t help his stomach.

“You better watch out.” The librarian said to him. “Children have a tendency to disappear in this town. Some they’ve never found.”  
“I… I’m not going anywhere?” Todd said, backing away a bit.  
The librarian’s eyes flicked down to the newspaper articles he’d found. “Mm… I wonder if that’s what they thought too.”

“Are you threatening me?” Todd asked.  
“No.” The librarian snorted. “Warning you. There’s more at play here than you think. Maybe the children ran away. Maybe they didn’t. Ever hear of the Pied Piper? Took the children away from Hamelin town? Ever think about what they were lured away with?”  
“No.” Todd replied. “Is this about Esther and Reggie? Do you know about Endless—?”

“What’s Endless?” The librarian asked. “Everything must end eventually. The real question is—what happens when it does?”  
Todd’s blood ran cold. “Are you saying Endless is… _gone_? Forever? With Reggie and Esther inside?”  
“What’s Endless?” The librarian repeated, before looking at a spot over Todd’s shoulder. “Where did the piper put the children? What happened to the children of Hamelin? He drowned the rats, and he took the children as revenge—what if it was all an elaborate plot to drown the children?”

Todd turned and ran. He ran and ran, and when he stopped running, he noticed he was outside the Sinclair house. The newspaper articles were still in his hands.  
“Todd.” Someone put a hand on his shoulder.  
He jumped. “They’re coming back!”

It was the policewoman. “We’re doing everything we can, Todd.”  
He relaxed a bit. “Um… I may have accidentally stolen these from the library. Can you give them back? The librarian kinda creeps me out.”  
“Sure, if you talk to me a bit more.” The policewoman sat down on the side of the curb. Todd joined her.

“What do you want to know?” Todd asked.  
The policewoman looked at the sky. “Esther Hopkins’ room was on the third floor with no way up or down. No evidence of a ladder in the vicinity, nothing. No one saw or heard anything suspicious. We’ve turned the Hopkins house upside down, and found nothing helpful. How was she kidnapped when the window was locked from the inside? How did she sneak out without breaking her legs? She disappeared into thin air, Todd.”

Todd held the newspaper articles a bit closer to himself. “Well… yeah. Do you believe me about Endless now?”  
“I’m not done.” The policewoman continued. “Regina Abbott’s room was similarly set up, and Elmer Deetz’s room in the orphanage… well, what used to be the orphanage. It’s the school now, did you know? Not enough orphans in Bethune. They all vanished into thin air.” She nodded towards the house. “Evelyn Sinclair did as well, so her mother swears. All of them seem unhappy—except maybe Esther Hopkins. Who started ‘Endless’, Todd?”

“Reggie did. Esther found her own way there—she said she wanted to take the pressure from her parents off a bit to come back as her best self for them.” Todd said. “I was… I was trying to see if anyone else had gone in a group, the way we did.”  
The policewoman was writing this down. “Was Judy Abbott ever abusive, Todd?”

“What? No! Reggie would complain about her mom trying to get her to grow up a bit, but it was just kid stuff.” Todd replied. “You don’t think Ms Abbott hurt Reggie, do you? She wasn’t even home when Reggie left!”  
The policewoman looked at the street. “Todd, this is looking less and less like a kidnapping. The only reason we’re not actively pointing fingers at the parents is because what you’re saying doesn’t add up to that. Well, the only other reason. The fact that they disappeared at the same time… Todd, how do you get to Endless?”

“I told you, I can’t right now.” Todd swallowed, trying to get rid of the feeling in his throat like he’d swallowed a golf ball. “I can’t help, and I’m scared!”  
The policewoman patted his shoulder gently. “I know, Todd.”  
“Everyone keeps expecting that I know what to do! I-I don’t! I feel so… powerless!” He said, curling his hands into fists. “I… I wish I’d been there. I might have been able to _do_ something.”

“If you’re right, all three of you would have been trapped.” The policewoman passed him a plastic evidence bag. Inside was at least one of Reggie’s drawings of Endless. “You told me once that in the week of the 7th to 11th in March, you and Esther were slowly driven insane on Endless until Regina, who had been hospitalized at the time, came to free you. The story… checks out. None of your parents remember seeing any of you from the 7th to 11th, besides Regina, and it seems that the ‘art camp’ mentioned was not even a plausible fake. Where else could you have been, but the same place that Regina and Esther are now?”

“So… what do we do?” Todd asked.  
The policewoman sighed. “I don’t know. I’ve never had to deal with this kind of thing before. I was hoping you could help me get in?”  
Todd took his key out, and muttered the words under his breath. “I don’t think it’s working.”  
The policewoman nodded. “Tell me if it does, okay?” With that she left.

In Endless, the girls were still in the boat.  
“I wonder what Todd’s doing. How long has it been?” Reggie asked, fiddling with a bit of meringue she’d crumbled off the edge.  
“It must have been several days—we went to sleep twice already.” Esther frowned. “It doesn’t feel the way it did when we were here for five days. Not even at the beginning.”  
“You _what_? When was that?” Butt Witch demanded.

The three flew into the air as the boat hit a small eddy.  
“It was over spring break—I was in the hospital, and they didn’t come get me or anything.” Reggie sulked. “I was looking forward to an entire week on Endless too…!”  
Butt Witch blinked owlishly, obviously trying to formulate a response. “And… you didn’t sleep?”

“No.” Esther said, frowning. “It was really weird.”  
Butt Witch folded her hands in front of her face. “Did you at least eat?”  
“Kind of?” Esther tried to think back. “Tasty Troy gave us meatballs.”

Butt Witch grabbed a bit of bread from the shore as they passed particularly close. “Eat now, both of you. You’ve gone too long without it.”  
“Why do you care?” Reggie asked, though she took her bit of bread.  
Butt Witch huffed. “I don’t! I just don’t want you terrible children clogging up my island forever!”

“It’s okay if you want to look after us—if you care about us. WE consider you a friend too.” Esther said.  
Butt Witch scoffed. “I don’t _have_ friends… what’s that smell?”  
Reggie finished her bread. “I don’t smell anything. Besides, you’re not really a _friend_… you remind me more of Dustin.”

Butt Witch began trying to pull the boat towards the shore without dipping her hand in the sticky chocolate milk. “Who or what is _Dustin_?”  
“He’s my big brother.” Reggie replied.  
Butt Witch momentarily stopped trying to get to shore. “You… you view me as an older sister?”  
“That’s what I said, isn’t it?” Reggie asked, averting her eyes in embarrassment.

“That’s… while I wouldn’t want to wish my mother on anyone, that’s the kindest thing anyone’s ever said to me. I shall be your older sister to both of you!” Butt Witch announced.  
“I’m fine with you just being a friend.” Esther tried to say.  
“No no, I’m your sister now.” Butt Witch redoubled her efforts as they passed closer to shore, and managed to drag the boat over. Just in time too—it turns out meringue is not a suitable building material, and really should have disintegrated sooner. She helped the girls out as it crumbled and drifted away.

“So where to now?” Reggie asked. “What’d ya smell, anyway?”  
Butt Witch clapped her hands together once. “Only the most _grown-up_ of foods. Come, sisters!” The Butt Witch strode off into a growing jungle of herbs, leaving Esther to pick up Reggie and carry her.  
In a clearing, Dr. Champion was cooking inside a giant garlic bulb he’d turned into a stove of some sort, and humming to himself.

“You! Where are the vegetables you were sautéing?” Butt Witch called as a greeting. “I’ve only had Big Deal’s food for so long.”  
Dr. Champion jumped. “Oh, hey Twelve! Hi Esther! I made enough food for all of us and weird Todd.”  
“That’s not my name.” Butt Witch hissed, but she followed him anyway.

Nearby, he’d set up a table with food for all of them, and slid plates of salmon meuniere, risotto, and yes, the sautéed vegetables in front of them.  
Butt Witch’s snake-like tongue darted out as though she was planning on grabbing the food with it, before she grabbed cutlery.

“Mm! This is _much_ better than Big Deal’s cooking!” She said happily.  
Reggie poked at it suspiciously. Esther gave her a sympathetic look. “Is this because of the ‘milk time’ thing we saw when we were in the vents?”  
“Oh yeah, I forgot Dr Champion can be just as gross as us!” Reggie said, before taking a forkful of food herself. “Wow, this is really good! Really fancy, but really good!”

Dr. Champion leaned back in his own chair. “Thank you.”  
“Did you… you didn’t cook like this on our Endless, did you?” Esther took a forkful of food as well.  
“No, but then again, it’s not _my_ Endless.” Dr Champion said.

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Butt Witch replied.  
“You’re not making any sense, Weird Todd!”  
Butt Witch frowned in confusion and Esther leaned over and whispered, “He’s just… like this sometimes.”

“It’s better to forget!” Dr Champion said, apropos of nothing. “Weird Todd! Do you want some wine?”  
“Would I?” She replied. He got her a glass, and she swirled it in front of her. “Mm… fruity notes…”  
“Can I smell?” Reggie asked. Butt Witch tilted the glass towards Reggie.  
“Just smells like wine.” Reggie said.

Butt Witch took back the glass. “Yes, well, that’s what you’re _supposed_ to say when you smell wine. It’s something Mother used to do.”  
“I crushed grapes and buried them in a box.” Dr Champion said.  
Butt Witch no longer looked so thrilled about the wine. “How… original.”  
“I crushed them with my feet!” Dr Champion said, pulling a foot up to show her. Purple gloop dripped off.  
“I see that.” Butt Witch said, gently tossing the wine over her shoulder. “Oh look! I drank it all. It was lovely. Now why are you, an adult man, in Endless?”

“Because I can’t live in Bethune anymore.” Dr Champion said. “I leave sometimes to get ingredients and ideas, but I can’t have a _job_ there. I can only stay in Endless, like you.” He waved a fork at Butt Witch.  
“So you’re actually _from_ Bethune?” Reggie said, nearly spewing food everywhere in her shock.

“No, I’m from Kentucky!” Dr Champion said brightly.  
“You said once that you retired here after you hurt yourself in factory work. Can you… expand more on that?” Esther asked.  
Dr Champion laughed. “No, no. I hurt myself _before_ the factory to avoid the draft.” Then he started screaming. “You won’t tell the doctors, will you? No! No! I served my time in the first one!” He jumped out of his seat and ran off into the forest of herbs screaming.

The three girls watched him for a minute, before Butt Witch said, “Pass me his plate, will you? He’s not coming back for it.”  
Esther wordlessly passed her the plate.  
“He’s always been kinda weird.” Reggie said, now on the risotto. “Did you know he could cook like this?”  
Esther frowned. “He _leaves_ Endless sometimes, Reggie. There’s no doubt… did you know he was… well, like us?”

“He also comes back because he has no other options.” Butt Witch had given up any semblance of civilization and was now licking the plates. “I think he might be not like us at all.”  
“He mentioned the draft.” Esther said. “And ‘the first one’.”  
“Probably meant Vietnam.” Butt Witch leaned back.

Esther pursed her lips. “Eve… it’s 2005 out there.”  
Butt Witch blinked rapidly. “It’s—? No, no, it would be… what, the 80s?”  
“If you’ve been asleep for thirty years, I worry about him. He came _before_ Elmer, and it doesn’t look like either of them…” here she waved her hands dramatically, “_slept_ like you did.”

“So he’s full on nuts. We already kinda knew that.” Reggie said, waving her fork as she talked.  
Esther pursed her lips. “Except he’s _not_. He remembers to leave sometimes. He has these little moments of clarity—and I think if anyone knows anything about the inner workings of Endless, it’s going to be him.”  
Butt Witch leaned back in her chair. “I’d be _fifty_… Mother’s _seventy-five_… when did everyone get so _old_…”

“Eve? Are you okay?” Reggie asked, poking Butt Witch gently with her fork.  
“How am I supposed to be sexy at _fifty_?” Butt Witch replied. “And if I’m not sexy, what am I?”  
“I think Endless is getting to her too.” Reggie muttered to Esther. Louder, she said, “You know we don’t care about that stuff, right? There’s more to life than being sexy.”

Butt Witch slid onto the ground. “You don’t understand. It’s just what I _am_. What I’ve worked hard to be.”  
“You don’t age, though. And even if you did, there are plenty of women who are attractive well into their elderly years. You’ve just been conditioned by society to view yourself as your prime being your early twenties and late teens.” Esther pointed out.

“I can never leave Endless to reintegrate back into society.” Butt Witch announced, continuing to lie on the ground.  
“Did you… want to?” Esther asked.  
“No, but that’s beside the point. I like having the _options_ to say no to.”

Reggie scoffed. “Growing up sucks though, even you think so.”  
“Immortality is a curse.” Butt Witch replied, passing a hand over her eyes. “Even if you leave Endless for visits sometimes, your family—I assume yours is better than Mother, if it’s not I won’t judge—will age and die while you will remain the same. ‘Where have you been, Reggie?’ ‘You look so young, Reggie.’ ‘What do you do for work, Reggie?’ On and on and on forever. Even if you remain on Endless forever—with me as your family, which sounds like it will grate on us both quickly even if I view you as the sisters I never had—I don’t think I’ll be able to fill the void of a mother that actually loves you.”

“Dang, that’s heavy.” Reggie flopped on the grass as well, having finished her food (and left the vegetables).  
“Do you think Dr Champion might know the exit? The real one, to the core of the island?” Esther asked.  
“What’s the point, if I can’t be young and beautiful and remember why I care about being such?” Butt Witch replied dramatically.

“I’m going to try to find him and ask.” Esther said. She headed off in the direction that Dr Champion had run off in.  
Butt Witch quickly sat up. “Even if my life is essentially hanging in the void—”  
“Dude. Dark.” Reggie said, sitting up as well.

“You two still have a lot to live for. We can’t let her get lost in here.” Butt Witch continued as if Reggie had never interrupted.  
“I can’t walk.” Reggie replied, glaring at the ground.  
The Butt Witch sighed. “Fine. This is a one time offer because of your condition, but I will offer you a piggy back ride.”  
“Aw sweet!” Reggie said, eagerly clambering over. With Reggie secure, the Butt Witch stood and strode off into the forest after Esther.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, internally: Wow I have so many ideas for this fic! I have even some ideas for a sequel if it ever gets that far.   
Me, when I sit down to write: the... quick... brown... fox... jumped... over... the... lazy... dog... how do I make characters talk like people?


	9. This is going to be a lot less fun than y'all think

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Butt Witch: Being an older sister means I can still threaten people, just FOR my new sisters :)  
Reggie: That's not what it means at all.  
Butt Witch: And how would you know?? Respect your elders.

It was easy enough for them to find Dr. Champion. He wasn’t exactly quiet. What he was, however, was at the top of a tree-sized sprig of rosemary.  
“Come down here.” Butt Witch ordered.  
“Shan’t!” He screamed back.

“Dang, he’s a good negotiator.” Reggie said.  
Butt Witch shot her a Look. “Watch this.” She sprouted another pair of arms, and began climbing the rosemary sprig.  
Dr Champion screamed and jumped to a nearby sprig of thyme. Butt Witch followed.

“Whoo!” Reggie whooped. “This is _fun!_”  
Eventually, there was nowhere for Dr Champion to run. “Right, we don’t have time for this. Where’s Esther?”  
“Why should I know?” Dr Champion asked.  
“Reggie, tear his arms off.” Butt Witch ordered.

“Dude, that’s messed up.” Reggie replied. “Also, not that I don’t trust you, but I don’t want to fall and break my other leg.”  
“Damn your logic.” The Butt Witch huffed, before turning back to Dr Champion. “This is your Endless. Tell us where Esther is.”

“I just gave her directions to the exit.” Dr Champion waved his arms in the air, letting go of the sprig in the process.  
Reggie grabbed him with one hand before he could fall, and Butt Witch crawled down, partially because Reggie’s iron grip was somewhat uncomfortable.  
“That was going to be my next question, actually. I’m not in the mood for your screaming—or your games. Where is the exit?” Butt Witch asked, taking him from Reggie with a free hand. “And rest assured, if Esther isn’t there, I shall personally hunt you down and turn you into ingredients for Big Deal.”

“No!” Dr Champion shrieked, struggling.  
“I thought you weren’t being evil anymore.” Reggie poked Butt Witch.  
“I’m not. I’m being a good big sister.” Butt Witch replied, before saying to Dr Champion, “Hopefully you’ll cook up as well as you cook.”  
There was a moment of silence.

“Oh, forget it. My humor is too advanced for you two.” Butt Witch huffed. “Talk, little man!”  
“The exit… hmm… oh, to the labyrinth?” Dr Champion said. “Or to the puppets? I like to go to the labyrinth when I forget.”  
Butt Witch could feel Reggie’s eyes burning into her, so she didn’t shake him. Instead, she cocked her head and grinned one of her particularly dangerous smiles. “You don’t fear death, do you? What _do_ you fear, then? Isolation?”

“I am wracked by post-traumatic stress disorder from my time in the trenches.” Dr Champion replied helpfully. “Sometimes my Endless changes to reflect this because it’s all I can imagine in the moment.”  
Butt Witch dropped him. “All of it?”  
“All of it!” He said, almost happily.

The landscape began to warp around them. The trees turned to dirt walls, high around them. The babbling of the chocolate milk river turned to gunfire and screams. Dr Champion whimpered, and while the Butt Witch’s back was turned, disappeared.

Butt Witch ran through the appearing trenches, pushing soldiers out of the way as it twisted and turned.  
“Reggie, watch the skies for Esther!” She warned.  
“Wh—you don’t think this will kill her, do you?” Reggie asked, eyes wide.  
“There are clearly lasting consequences to this place.” Butt Witch shuddered, tapping Reggie’s broken leg gently as she ran.

“INCOMING SHELL!” A soldier screamed in a British accent.  
Somewhere nearby, it landed. Butt Witch collapsed, her ears ringing.  
“—okay?” She heard Reggie saying after a few minutes.  
“Let’s find Esther.” Butt Witch ground out, rising to her feet again.

“Ma’am, what are you and this child doing here?” A man screamed.  
“I don’t have time for this.” Butt Witch muttered. “Reggie? Grab a wooden pillar.”

“Got it!” Reggie said, easily pulling a support pillar out of the ground and holding it like a javelin.  
The man ran away screaming.   
Butt Witch hefted Reggie a bit higher, realizing she might be slipping a bit. “Well, now to find a way out of here.”  
“What about Esther?” Reggie demanded.

“If she hasn’t been shot down, she’s in here with us.” Butt Witch said firmly. “So let’s continue on—surely one of these… ghosts… has seen her.”  
They hadn’t, but even if they had it was impossible to tell. Most ran away screaming when they saw Reggie and her weapon, and the Butt Witch growing extra arms to support her.

“INCOMING SHELL!” Another man screamed over the gunfire as they rounded a corner and found Esther huddled up.  
“There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home…” She breathed to herself, obviously trying to hold back tears.  
“Esther—Reggie!” Butt Witch screamed. The shell was heading towards them—more specifically, Esther.  
Butt Witch moved to cover Esther, and Reggie took the moment to hit the shell off like a baseball.

This was not how mortar shells worked, but Endless was specifically run on imagination. It went shrieking in the other direction, before exploding in the sky like fireworks.  
“Home run.” Reggie said smoothly.  
“Yes, yes, you’re very clever.” Butt Witch said, before grabbing Esther with her extra hands. “How are you?”

“I-I-I saw…!” Esther hiccupped, pointing shakily to what looked unsettlingly like a human corpse.  
Butt Witch winced. “It’s not… it’s not real. We have to get out of here.”  
“He’s _dead_.” Esther sobbed. “He died right in front of me—and he was just trying to help!”  
Butt Witch brought her in for an awkward hug. “That stupid little man is apparently spreading his PTSD like a disease… Esther! We need to get out of here—this direction is the way, yes? Stay close to me. I promise it’s not real. I’m real. Reggie’s real. Stay with us.”

“I want to go home.” Esther whispered.  
“I know.” Butt Witch said awkwardly, before patting her on the head. “You can go home soon. I’ll do whatever I can to make that reality.”  
“This place kinda sucks.” Reggie added. “What are you gonna do here if you don’t come? Back home, at least there’s the _library_, and Captain Cream’s…”

“Bethune may not be a place of culture, but it does seem to be better than an active warzone.” Butt Witch added.  
“INCOMING SHELL!”  
“Reggie?” She asked.  
“ON IT!” Reggie batted this one away as well. This one exploded in a shower of gold and red.

“Look at the pretty fireworks.” Butt Witch said to Esther.  
“That’s… not how those work?” Esther said.  
“None of this is real.” Reggie pointed out. “I mean, except for you, me, and the Butt Witch.”

“Insolent tot.” Butt Witch said fondly as they reached the exit. She tried to push past it with her free hand on her right side, then both her free hands that weren’t holding onto Reggie.  
“So… you ever seen the Lion King?” Reggie asked.  
“Um, Reggie? The Lion King came out in 1994.” Esther whispered.

Soon enough though, the concept Reggie was getting at was explained. Butt Witch hoisted Reggie up underneath her armpits, and Reggie whacked the door in without getting hurt in the process. Butt Witch then put Reggie back onto her back, held onto her with two hands, took Esther’s hand with another, and proceeded inside.

It was dark, and full of stairs. The three girls nearly slipped a few times, but the bottom seemed to be… glowing. It was a giant maze that resembled the human brain. In the distance, somehow they could still hear Dr Champion—apparently he had managed to get ahead of them. As they neared the bottom, the material of the maze became more and more prevalent, even growing out of the walls. Butt Witch brushed against some once in an attempt to steady herself, and immediately a cacophony of voices rang out in her mind.

_“Mister, didja get your wound in the war?” _  
_“Promise me, Elmer. I don’t want you to be alone…”_  
_“Sinclair’s flair is that she shows her underwear!”_  
_“Esther’s having a nice time! Why can’t you?”_  
_“Whoa, who broke my record? Todd, do you know?”_  
_“I’m sure you’ll have lots of fun in Bethune… and if not, you can always go to boarding school, right? You won’t let us down.” _

Butt Witch recoiled from the wall.  
“What happened?” Esther asked.  
Butt Witch pursed her lips. “I… there’s so much _shame_… I can’t even delight in it.”  
“Weird response, but okay.” Reggie said. “I get that.”

They got to the bottom of the stairs, and saw the entrance to the maze.  
“Does anyone remember the way to the centre?” Butt Witch asked.  
“I’m sorry.” Esther said quietly.  
“Heck no. Also, are you still thinking about that dead guy? It’s okay, he’s gone now.” Reggie said happily, attempting to poke Esther with the toe of her undamaged boot.

“That’s… not how trauma works.” Esther replied.  
“It’s how Endless works.” Reggie argued.  
“Enough! We have a job to do.” The Butt Witch said, before the three of them entered the maze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reggie and Todd's shame moments (because it's a chronological list from Endless' human inhabitants, not counting Ogden's INCREDIBLY BRIEF visit) come from 'The Mall Forever' for Reggie and 'Secrets Forever' for Todd.
> 
> ALSO! Shoutout to AngstApocalypse (planetdawsey on tumbr) who made GORGEOUS fanart of Reggie riding around on her adoptive big sister's shoulders. :D Go see it, it's beautiful and I adore it!


	10. TODD TIME

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh, there's some uncomfortable sexual stuff in Eve's backstory. It's not sexual assault, but it might be upsetting for some people, so when the Butt Witch tells Reggie and Esther to cover their ears, skip to the next part with italics.

Todd’s dad was home for once. He and Donna were sitting at the kitchen table waiting for Todd when he got home.  
“…was it my turn to get the Jennifers?” Todd asked, knowing full well that it wasn’t.  
“Shit!” Donna leapt up from the table. “Hon, sorry, you’re going to have to handle this alone.” She grabbed her coat and was out the door before Todd could ask what was going on.

“Have a seat, Todd.” Todd’s dad said.  
Todd hung up his coat and slowly walked to the table.  
Todd’s dad fiddled with his hands. “So… Donna and I were thinking about you maybe going up to stay with Aaron for a bit.”  
“I have to be here when Reggie and Esther get back.” Todd replied, sitting down in the seat Donna had left.

Todd’s father sighed, and ran a hand through his still red hair. “It’s… the police are beginning to dredge the nearby river. Things are getting desperate.”  
“They’re coming back.” Todd said stubbornly.  
Todd’s dad pursed his lips. “Todd, I know you have been saying that a lot recently. I don’t want to wear you down, but the police are saying it doesn’t look good.”  
“I know it doesn’t _look_ good, but it doesn’t _look_ like you’re a bad father, and yet here we are!” Todd exploded.

Todd’s father’s face fell.  
“I didn’t mean it like that.” Todd said.  
Todd’s father looked away. “…Donna and I have been reading some pamphlets to know how to deal with this kind of thing. So… it’s okay for you to uh, ‘express your emotions’ even if you’re ‘primarily angry right now at a situation outside of your control, and take it out on those around you’. Don’t do it to your sisters though.”  
“I won’t.” Todd replied, before looking at his father more closely. “You were reading pamphlets on this kind of stuff? For me?”

Todd’s father scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Well, there’s not really one for this specific situation, so we just kinda read a lot of them. Donna was hoping she’d be here to mediate, I thought it might get kind of ugly.”  
“It’s not gonna get ugly, ‘cause they’re going to come back.” Todd replied.

Todd’s father curled a hand under his mouth, obviously deciding what the next best tactic was. “Ms Abbott said she saw you going into the Sinclair house yesterday. She says the same thing about her daughter, but Evelyn Sinclair isn’t coming back. I don’t want you to be like Mrs. Sinclair, Todd.”  
“It’s been _three days_.” Todd said. “They’re coming back—why do you think they’re not?”  
“Precisely because it has been three days. Look, all I’m saying is you can go stay with Aaron for a while, just to get your mind off of it.”

Todd was unbelievably tempted to say yes. But the keys only worked in Bethune, and he needed to keep checking to make sure he’d be able to reach them to pull them out. “I can’t.”  
Todd’s dad nodded tiredly. “Okay. Okay. The pamphlets said to follow your lead, just… I can see this weighing on you. We all can. If they’re not back by the end of the week, will you at least consider going up to see Aaron?”  
“I guess.” Todd said, though mentally he was digging his heels in.

Todd’s father smiled. “That’s my boy. You’re so grown-up, Todd, and I know that’s because of me and your mom, but sometimes I wish you didn’t have to be.”  
“Not really much choice.” Todd pointed out. “Someone has to be.”  
“…your mother called.” Todd’s father said. “If… you don’t want to go to Aaron, you can stay with her, just for a bit. I told her that’s just the worst case scenario but I wanted to tell you first.”

“Thanks.” Todd said coldly. “I’ll… think about it.”  
Todd’s father grimaced. “I know, I basically said the same thing. I know you don’t want to talk to her at all, let alone live with her for even a week. She said she wants to see you and the girls, even without all… this.”  
Todd made a face, and pushed himself away from the table. “I’m… going to bed.”  
“Okay.” Todd’s father said. “I… the pamphlets said to give you support, and positive reinforcement, and stuff like that… I, um, I know I don’t say this too often, but I love you, okay? I love you, and Aaron, and your sisters.”  
“I know.” Todd said. “I love you too.” 

In the maze, both Reggie and Esther were now on the Butt Witch’s back as she was in animal form. “I feel… more powerful down here.” Butt Witch said.  
“Isn’t that good?” Reggie asked.  
“Normally, yes. I don’t particularly want to destroy you right now though.” Butt Witch replied.

She turned a corner a bit too sharply, and the three were shoved into a memory.  
_“What is this?” Butt Witch asked, having been forcibly thrown back into her humanoid form. _  
_“Sweet, my leg’s fine!” Reggie said, standing on her own about five feet away._  
_“Um, guys?” Esther said, pointing. _

They were in the high school, but everything looked vaguely new and vaguely old at the same time. The beat up lockers and walls were shiny and new, and there was a girl leaning up against a locker. Her hair was brown instead of silvery purple, curling gently around her shoulders instead of sticking up. Her skin was pink instead of green, her eyes green instead of pink, but she was still unmistakable.

_“Is that… me?” Butt Witch asked, wandering closer. She waved her hand in her younger self’s face, and it ended up going straight through.  
“Oh, this is like the grocery store. Huh.” Reggie said, looking around. _

“Hey, Evelyn!” A boy called.  
_Butt Witch froze. “No… of all the bad decisions, why is HE here?” _  
A handsome boy walked over to the young Eve. She twirled a lock of hair around her finger. “H-hey.”  
“So, you’ve heard about the party I’m throwing this weekend, right?” The boy continued.

“Well, yeah, but my mother will never let me go.” Young Eve said.  
“Sneak out.” The boy suggested. “I’d love to see you there… my uncle was a hippie the last few years, he got us some… _neat_ stuff to try out.”  
_Esther gasped. “Eve! Did you take drugs?” _  
_Butt Witch pinched the bridge of her nose. “No. This isn’t why I’m ashamed of this, Esther.”_  
“I guess…” Young Eve said.

The scene rapidly shifted, almost like a flow of consciousness. They stood outside a house with a younger Eve, who was clearly debating going in. She was wearing clothes that fit her perfectly, including her trademark red bodysuit, though this one had a zipper.  
_“Where’d you get that?” Reggie asked.  
“I made it myself.” Butt Witch said proudly. “There are so many hidden pockets in that thing… it was a prototype for this one, of course…” _

“You made it.” The boy said, practically appearing out of thin air. His eyes roamed her hungrily. “Wow, once you’re out of those Catholic schoolgirl clothes, you really clean up. Shame you hide your beauty like that all the time.”  
_Butt Witch crossed her arms. “He was right, in a stupid kind of way. I’d crush him under my heel if given half a chance these days.” _  
Young Eve didn’t have the same reaction, she giggled and blushed. They went into the house, and of course the girls followed.

The teens in the house were drinking and laughing. The boy got Eve a drink that looked suspiciously like wine. There was more giggling and blushing.  
_“You were kinda boring.” Reggie said, dancing along to the 60s music playing on vinyl records. _  
_“This is the kind of high school party I’ve always dreamed of!” Esther shot back._  
_Butt Witch scowled. “It wasn’t.” _

When her drink was half done, the boy whispered something in Eve’s ear. Since it was her memory playing out, all three girls heard it. “You wanna go upstairs?”  
“I guess…” Eve said nervously, excitedly.  
All three girls were sent upstairs with the memory.  
_“I remember the hallway, I remember the hallway, I remember the hallway…” Butt Witch chanted under her breath, managing to pull both children out of the bedroom so at least they wouldn’t have to see._  
“Cover your ears!” She ordered.   
_“Eve…” Esther said, glancing back at the door.  
“Cover them!” Butt Witch hissed. _

There was the sound of cloth ripping. “Hey, I spent a lot of time—hey! That hurts!”  
“It’ll stop hurting in a minute.” The boy huffed.  
Then there were the noises, mostly from the boy. Both Esther and Reggie covered their ears.

“That was good. You’re a good fuck.” The boy said appreciatively. “Uh… do you want to get out now?”  
“What? I just got here!” Eve protested.  
“Yeah but… wait, you didn’t think this was serious, did you? You’re hot and all, but I’m not going to date _Evelyn Sinclair_. God, you’re… well, you’re really only good for fucking.”

“How dare you! I-I-I gave you my virginity!” Eve sounded close to tears.  
“You did? Aw man, and here I thought you were just a slut under your schoolgirl getup. Guess you were all along.” The boy laughed. “It didn’t exactly take much to get you out of those clothes, did it?”  
“I thought I loved you!” Eve sobbed.  
“Nah, you couldn’t have.” The boy said. “Why would you think I’d ever love you back? Mm… probably going to get back together with Sandra…”

The door opened. Eve left in her bodysuit, now ripped. As she made her way downstairs, it seemed like everyone’s eyes were on her. The whispers filled the minds of the three girls.  
_“Eve, that’s so awful…” Esther said, eyes welling up with tears. _  
_Butt Witch examined her fingernails. “There wasn’t much else to do but make it my own. So I did. I’m so much more powerful and mature than that sad little girl was.” She pointedly did not look at Eve run out into the street, crying. _  
_“Yeesh.” Reggie visibly cringed. “Can we leave now?”_  
_“Agreed.” Butt Witch said, before they were thrust back into the maze._


	11. Settle In Guys, This is a Long-ass plot device

“So uh… do you want to talk about any of that?” Reggie asked after Esther nudged her gently.  
“No. Forget what you saw.” Butt Witch ordered.  
In her hurry to get _away_ from the memories, she accidentally brushed against another part of the hedge maze.

_She screamed in frustration. _  
_Esther winced._  
_“What’s the big deal, I don’t think it’s YOU!” Reggie said. _

_“It’s a NUISANCE—what?” Butt Witch said._  
Reggie jerked a thumb at the middle-aged man who they were forced to follow along with. He was walking along a sidewalk, with a tattered suit and suitcase, and he was walking with a pronounced limp.  
“Mister, didja get your wound in the war?” A passing child asked.  
His sister, who was well-dressed and considerably older, about fifteen, winced. “Caspar! That’s _not_ what we say!”  
“Sor-ry.” Caspar said. “Did you get that inj’ry in the war?”  
The sister looked like she was hiding a great and terrible anger. Reggie had actually seen that expression before—the first time she ever called Eve ‘Butt Witch’. _“Whoa, Eve, is that you?”_  
_“Of course not.” Butt Witch huffed. “I don’t have a brother, and this was before my time. …I think it’s my mother.” _  
_“What?” Esther gasped._  
_“I think I had an uncle named Caspar who was younger than my mother.” Butt Witch said by way of explanation. It was not a very good explanation, but it seemed to satisfy the girls. _

The sister tugged Caspar along. “You’ll hear more about this when we get home.”  
Caspar waved a goodbye to the man, who grimaced.  
_“Who is this supposed to be then?” Reggie asked. “Your grandpa?”  
Butt Witch gave her a Look. “This is the way you talk to your parents?” _

The man continued in to Captain Cream’s, which hadn’t _quite_ opened yet, but seemed close.  
“I’m here for the job?” The man called in a gentle Southern lilt as he opened the door.  
A man poked his head out. “Oh, yeah, Paul’s replacement. You uh, you read the cooking magazine I’m guessing?”  
“Indeed, it’s been many years since I was actually able to cook. Professionally, I mean.” The man they were following grinned widely.

He then leaned down, touching his leg. “Um, may we sit down for this?”  
“Oh, of course. I’m Ray.” The proprietor of Captain Cream’s said. “So, uh, were you…?”  
“No, I was injured before I could ship out.” The man said. “Got shot in a mugging gone wrong.”  
_“He’s lying, and this Ray man is a fool for not noticing.” Butt Witch announced.  
“Shh, it’s getting good!” Reggie said. _

Ray flicked through the papers that the man provided. “So you were doing factory work in Kentucky? What happened?”  
_“Wait, I know who this is.” Esther said. “That’s Dr. Champion.” _  
_“Nooo, he can’t be. He’s too… normal.” Reggie said._  
“Factory fired me because too many of our boys were coming home—Europe’s done.” Dr Champion shrugged.

“So… ‘Charles D. Rampion’, you have experience cooking?” Ray asked.  
“I do.” Charles Rampion said happily, leaning forward. “I used to cook in a French restaurant in Frankfort in the 20s. Before times got… well, you know.”  
“I do.” Ray said, pursing his lips. “Well, it doesn’t seem fair to turn you away after you’ve come this far… welcome to the team, Doc.”  
“Doc?” Charles Rampion said.

“Yeah, Doc. ‘Cause your initials have a D.R.? Like you’re a doctor, haha. Though maybe you’d prefer to smash together Charles and Rampion to make Champion?”  
_“Oh my god. This sane man who can actually cook IS the madman who managed to make PTSD contagious.” Butt Witch groaned._  
“That’s kinda sad.” Esther said. The two men shook hands. _“What Endless did to him, I mean.” _  
_“Pfft, Dr. Champion’s awesome now.” Reggie said as the three were transported back to their bodies in the maze. _

“How so?” Butt Witch asked, carefully stepping around the hedges. “He’s a sad little shell of a man.”  
“He’s got Guy Pleasant.” Esther pointed out.  
“I don’t know who that is.” Butt Witch said. “I will continue to assume he has nothing and no one, and that is why he came to Endless in the first place.”  
“_Lame.” _Reggie said, reaching out a hand to brush it against the wall.

_“Don’t do that!”_ _The Butt Witch hissed as they were pulled into another memory. “…what’s going on, anyway?” _  
_“Aw, it’s just me.” Reggie said, gesturing to a version of herself that was agreeing to babysit Ogden._  
_“Can we stop pretending we’re not interested in learning about each other?” Esther asked. “This seems as good a way as any, especially with your spotty memory in places, Eve.” _

_Butt Witch huffed. “I refuse to admit to being so… nosey. What’s this about, anyway?” _  
Reggie took Ogden to Endless. Immediately, both Butt Witch and Esther’s heads swiveled to stare at her.  
_“What if I’d found him before I decided not to destroy you?!” Butt Witch hissed. “Do you honestly believe I’m above hurting children?! I am a despicable monster—and you nearly exposed that child to me!” _  
_“I coulda handled you if you tried.” Reggie snorted. “Besides, Ogden’s a good, quiet kid, and you’d have had a hard time finding him in the first place.”_  
_“What do you mean?” Esther asked. _

Her question was unnecessary as the drama with Ogden going invisible played out.  
_“It’s weird, I don’t remember this as clearly as it’s showing up.” Reggie said. _  
_“I think…” Esther glanced at the Butt Witch, deciding how to say this. “I think that Endless stores our memories. It certainly makes a lot of sense.”_  
_The Butt Witch looked like she was going to freak out. “How do I… listen!” She tried to grab Reggie by the shoulders but her hands kind of went right through. It seems that they couldn’t touch each other either. “Caring for younger people is harder than you think! Look at Esther—I lost track of her for five minutes and she saw a man die in the trenches of the Somme!” _

_“I don’t think it was the Somme, America only joined the war in 1917, and the Somme was in 1916.” Esther said. _  
_“She’s a shell of her former self!” The Butt Witch hissed._  
_“Dude, she seems fine now.” Reggie said._

_“I’m repressing my trauma until I can deal with it with a licensed therapist.” Esther said. “That man’s face will haunt me forever, as it haunts Dr. Champion.”_  
There was a pause. In the background, Reggie had had the admittedly brilliant solution of recreating ‘Uncle Paul’s Cabin’ or whatever it was called. None of the three girls really cared.  
_“Okay, yes, she SEEMS fine, but who knows what traumas are lurking beneath the surface?” Butt Witch pointed out. “I, for example, am incredibly beautiful and desirable, and you saw how I was thrown away like garbage by that stupid boy.”_  
“_Yeah, do you want to talk about that?” Esther asked, before they were pulled back to their bodies. _

“No_._” Butt Witch hissed. “I _don’t_. Do either of you know anything about the human brain?”  
“Uh… kinda? My mom has a map of it in her office. I think we’re in the frontal lobe, it handles personality, problem solving, intelligence… things like that. I think we just saw Reggie problem solving.”  
“Heck yeah, ya did.” Reggie said. “You guys wanna go again?”  
“Maybe not yet…” Esther said.


	12. Todd's time is kinda not-really Todd's time but whatever

The next time they brushed up against the leaves, they were taken into a memory of Todd’s.  
In Todd’s apartment, there were two bassinets next to the sofa. Todd, about 7, was sitting on the sofa with his older brother, himself about 12. Aaron had a guitar with him that he was playing softly, and the reasoning for that soon became abundantly clear.

“Why can’t you just accept that the children need you?!” Todd’s father shouted.  
“Oh, they _need_ me? I gave up everything for them—and what do you do? You drink and gamble away any money you make. And you talk to me about what the children _need_.”  
_“Wow.” Reggie said. “I didn’t know it was this bad.” _  
_“I haven’t actually met Todd’s mother.” Esther glanced around nervously.  
Reggie snorted. “Join the club.” _

_Butt Witch looked distinctly uncomfortable._  
There was the sound of a plate smashing.  
“Oh, you’re throwing things now?! Real mature, Rachel!” Todd’s father yelled.  
“Fuck you! I’m sick of this stupid town, I’m sick of your stupid, worthless job, I’m sick of your worthless friends, and I’m _sick _to _death_ of YOU!” Todd’s mother screamed.

One of the bassinets emitted a wail, then the other one.  
“Shut up!” Todd yelled at them.  
Aaron stopped strumming. “Hey, hey, it’s not their fault.”  
“Mom and Dad were getting happier before they had them!” Todd wiped his eyes.

“C’mere.” Aaron said, opening his arms up for a hug.  
Todd obediently curled up in his brother’s arms.  
“I know it seems like they were happier before, but I think they’re happiest when they’re fighting.” Aaron’s mouth was a thin line. “But they were just trying to keep Mom not stressed because they were worried about what it would do to the baby… well, babies.”

“I hate them.” Todd sobbed.  
“Mom and Dad, or the Jennifers?” Aaron asked.  
Todd didn’t really answer.  
Aaron smoothed his hair. “You don’t hate Mom and Dad, and please don’t hate the babies. It’s really not their fault. We’ve all gotta stick together the way you and I are, right?”  
“Why.” Todd said flatly.

“Because…” Aaron bit his lip, wondering what to say. “Even if Mom and Dad are fighting, and everything sucks, you’ve still got me, right? And these two still have us. And we’ll always be able to lean on each other when bad stuff’s happening, right?”  
“I guess.” Todd said sullenly.  
Aaron pulled his guitar over. “Hey, do you want me to teach you how to play?”

“Yeah!” Todd couldn’t hide his excitement.  
Aaron put the guitar in front of both of them and gently placed Todd’s chubby fingers on the frets.  
_“Foolish.” Butt Witch sniffed. “Young children are the worst of all with the… stickiness.” _  
_“Eve, are you crying?” Reggie asked, trading a worried look with Esther._  
“No! Leave me be!” Butt Witch waved a hand at them. Her voice sounded strained, cracked, almost as if…  
Esther slid a hand into hers. “I think Aaron was being really nice, don’t you?” 

_“What does it matter if the third member of your tacky trio has nice older siblings?” Butt Witch huffed, but she gave Esther’s hand a little squeeze. “Or at least a kind brother?” _  
_“What about you, do you have siblings?” Reggie asked.  
“I do now, don’t I?” Butt Witch raised an eyebrow. “But any biological siblings? No. …Mother said she always wanted more, but it wasn’t to be. I was always glad, it made it easier to leave but…” Trying her best to be subtle, she wiped her eyes. _

_Reggie and Esther both looked away in solidarity. Thankfully, the memory began to fade around them. _

“We’ve lost a lot of time already.” Butt Witch said. She crawled forward. Their bodies evidently hadn’t moved at all, so she was careful to stay away from the wall this time.  
Reggie shifted, inadvertently moving her leg. She hissed in pain, before saying, “What’s the big deal—it’s not going to get us down here, right?”  
“And everything will be reset eventually once we get to the centre of the maze, right?” Esther chimed in.

“I don’t know.” Butt Witch admitted, crawling faster in her ire.  
“Well whaddya do last time?” Reggie demanded, moving her leg again. “Owwww…”  
“Reggie, you have to be careful with your leg!” Esther gently admonished. “We need to wait until we can get home and your mom can take a look at it.”

“Last time…” Butt Witch began quietly. Both girls immediately shut up.  
“Last time, I ran to Endless and threw away my key. Everything was fine, for a couple of days. To better lull me into a false sense of security.” Butt Witch laughed humorlessly. “Then everyone just… disappeared. I raced around, trying to find them, to find _anything_… until I gave up, deciding that they’d moved on. I went to sleep. I convinced myself I didn’t need any of them. I ignored the howling storm… and then I woke up in the volcano.”

“How’d you know they hadn’t abandoned you?” Esther asked. “Again, I mean?”  
Butt Witch turned her head 180 degrees and shot her a Look. “You think I wouldn’t notice that ugh… _Twelve’s_ acolytes weren’t there to spread her word? That Big—that they weren’t waiting to welcome her, even at the prospect of my fearsome presence?” Truth be told, they weren’t that afraid of her following the previous incident where she was shrunk, if they ever were to begin with. Their precious Twelve always saved them. Fools. Reggie was a child like any other, and a good portion of them were adults. At least she never had to be saved by a _child_, this journey and its own incidents notwithstanding.

“Dude, they’re not… Jehovah’s Witnesses or something. They don’t go door to door saying, ‘wow, Twelve’s awesome, do you wanna make a donation’?” Reggie waved her hands in the air as she talked, clearly mimicking the Jehovah’s Witnesses who had had the misfortune to come to her home, likely while her mother was working.  
“They don’t really need to.” Esther pointed out gently as Butt Witch turned her head back to its original position. “Everyone on Endless loves you.”  
“Uh, yeah? What’s the point of a place where everyone likes you if no one likes you?” Reggie retorted.

Butt Witch twitched her tail. “It’s not _just_ an escapist fantasy world, is it?”  
Reggie frowned behind her head. “Just ‘cause your islanders kinda sucked—no offense—doesn’t mean Endless isn’t cool.”  
“I think Endless intends us to stay here. Forever.” Butt Witch replied.  
“I know, that’s the point.”

“What happens when Endless grows tired of _you_?” Butt Witch said, turning her head 180 degrees again.  
Reggie looked unsure.  
“It’s better to at least have options in the real world.” Esther said, rubbing Reggie’s shoulder.  
Unfortunately, Butt Witch was keeping her eyes pinned to Reggie’s. “Do you want to be—”

_“Like me?” She finished, now inside another memory as they had crashed straight into a hedge wall. She instantly froze, seeing where they were.  
_Evelyn was about 11, sitting on the floor of the parlor reading. The title of the book flashed into the minds of the three girls, as well as the passage she was reading over and over. She was reading the Odyssey, the part where Odysseus finally comes home and proves himself to his wife. ‘Move the bed, if you are my husband.’ ‘I cannot, for I carved it from an olive tree.’

In the room, not having the decency to move into the other one like Todd’s parents, hers were fighting. Evelyn didn’t move a muscle for fear of being drawn into it like an unwitting pawn.  
“I never loved you.” Mr. Sinclair spat. “All I liked was your pretty face and tight cunt, and then you got pregnant and my family _made_ me marry you.”  
Mrs. Sinclair growled at him, “No? Then why not force me to sign a pre-nup? I know your brother wanted me to. But no, you believed we’d _last_, didn’t you? That I’d be happy married to such a shell of a man?”

“Dammit, don’t you mention that!” Mr. Sinclair took a step forward as if to hurt her.  
Evelyn gripped her book harder.

Mrs. Sinclair tapped her cigarette, letting the ash fall on the carpet. “Love doesn’t exist anyway, you stupid fool. I married you for the money, you married me out of shame. I got pregnant on _purpose_, you ass, not that I had to do much. You were very eager to forego condoms.”  
“Not that it gave you more children!” Mr. Sinclair screamed. “How many miscarriages was it, Susanne?”

Mrs. Sinclair slapped him.  
Evelyn hurriedly reread the line again and again until it was seared into her memory. All three could feel her shame and despair melting over them.  
“Fuck this, fuck you, and fuck the kid.” Mr Sinclair growled, hate in his eyes. “I’m leaving you, Susanne. You won’t see a fucking red cent—”  
“And I’ll tell your father what a failure you are?” Mrs. Sinclair’s voice was like steel wool scraping iron. “Fine, leave. And when you take up with some little whore and _forget_ to wear a condom again, and come weeping to me for a divorce, I’ll take every last penny you have. Just pay for the girl, you moron.”

She swept out of the room, trailing cigarette ash. Mr. Sinclair turned to Evelyn. “I hope you learned something from this conversation, so that you don’t turn out like your _whore_ mother. …maybe you will. Maybe she’s right, love probably doesn’t exist.”  
Evelyn finally lowered the book. “Are—are you really leaving?”  
“She thinks I won’t. I am.” Mr. Sinclair said simply. “Do you want to come with me?”

Evelyn wet her lips with her tongue, stalling for time. “Where are you going?”  
“Anywhere.”  
“Please stay.”  
Mr. Sinclair’s face turned cold and stony. “No. You’re just like her, you know that.” He swept out of the room, and Evelyn began to cry.

The three were shoved out of the memory.  
“Do you want to talk about that?” Esther asked gently.  
“No. She was right about one thing, love doesn’t exist.” Butt Witch brushed them off. “He didn’t come back, she thought he would… she took it badly. Started treating me like it’d never happened, like we’d never moved past that point. Like I’d never _aged_.”

“Jesus fucking Christ.” Reggie said.  
“Reggie!” Esther said, scandalized.  
“What? _They_ said worse!” Reggie gestured at the leaves. “It’s something my mom says when she’s real mad about something, or really shocked, and I thought it fit!”


	13. Sometimes parents don't get it but that doesn't mean they're bad parents

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mention of and discussion of 9/11. If that makes you umcomfortable, skip from when Reggie says "...that's grown-up stuff, y'know?" to Both girls shook their heads.

Reggie’s questionable language choices aside, the trio was being fairly careful now around the hedges.  
“Are we the new Secret Trinity?” Esther asked. “Is Todd being phased out like one of the original Secret Trinity kids after a dispute with the publishing company?”

“Who or what are these children you speak of?” Butt Witch asked.  
“They’re in this book she loaned me.” Reggie said. “Personally, I think it focuses too much on the… I don’t know, the _society_ these kids live in, but I guess that’s kinda the point?”  
“Reggie, I’m so proud that you’re picking up on the socio-political themes of the Secret Trinity!” Esther squealed. “It’s one of my favorite parts, do you think it was a bit too obvious that the author was criticizing the post-9/11 world that we have entered? What about its views on capitalism’s expectations for people of our age group and how we are expected to spend our time making money to define our worth instead of following our passions?”

“Uh, yeah.” Reggie said. “I mean, it was kinda obvious? I don’t really think about that kinda stuff too hard. That’s grown-up stuff, y’know?”  
“What’s 9/11?” Butt Witch asked.  
“Aghh…” Esther and Reggie shared a look. Esther was making a face of horror now that she’d realized. “Um…”  
“So… you know how… flying was fairly easy beforehand?” Esther asked.

“I have never once stepped foot outside of Bethune before coming here.” Butt Witch said drily, popping her face through to the back of her head without changing its position. She rolled her eyes. “Yes, I know about airplanes.”  
“Uh… well… they’re not anymore.” Esther scratched the back of her head. “Because uh… I’m not really qualified to talk about this, but you know the World Trade Centre?”

“What about it?” Butt Witch asked impatiently.  
“Terrorists flew planes into ‘em.” Reggie said. “Brought ‘em down.”  
“What?” Butt Witch blinked owlishly.  
“Reggie!” Esther hissed. “People died!”

“What? I didn’t kill ‘em! I didn’t say it was a good thing!” Reggie threw her hands in the air.  
“Have some respect for the dead!” Esther huffed.  
“Enough!” Butt Witch said. “Jesus Christ, this is a mess. When did this happen?”  
“2001.”  
“Were either of you involved in any way? Family members…?”

Both girls shook their heads.  
“Then stop talking about it, there are more important things to deal with.” Butt Witch huffed. “How long has it been since we entered this maze?”  
“I dunno, coupla hours?” Reggie said.  
Esther frowned. “I thought it was closer to twelve hours?”

“I thought it was only thirty minutes.” Butt Witch said quietly. The three shuddered.  
All of a sudden, Dr Champion stuck his head through the fence.  
“You!” Butt Witch hissed, switching her face back to its original position.

“Me! Hi, Eve! Hi, Reggie! Hi, Esther!” He waved, before slithering through the hedge.  
Butt Witch looked utterly repulsed. “I don’t recall introducing myself to you.”  
“You didn’t. I saw your memories.” Dr Champion said. “I’ve been here for a few hours, and so have you! I _love_ the maze!”  
Butt Witch stretched her body, grew more limbs and reared up, making sure the children wouldn’t go flying off of her, especially with Reggie’s leg.

“Esther saw a man die because of you.” Butt Witch growled. “I want you to tell me—without any riddles—why I shouldn’t snap your spine and paralyze you from the waist down.”  
“Because I can walk on Endless anyway? Even if my leg is ruined?” Dr Champion pointed out.  
“And why shouldn’t I deal with you anyway, for seeing my _private_ memories?”

“Butt—Eve! Be cool! You hated us, and you let us see that stuff.” Reggie said.  
“That’s different.” Butt Witch snapped. “You’re my sisters now. _He_ is a madman.”  
Esther curled and uncurled her hands reflexively for a minute, deciding what to say. “I… I forgive him for sh-showing me a man die. I know he had to see that man die, out there, and I feel sorry for him. I can get therapy. He can’t. He’s sick, don’t you see Eve? Don’t kill a sick man. Don’t hurt him. I couldn’t live with myself if-if I caused…” Tears started to spill from her cheeks, and she hurriedly wiped them away.

Reggie gave her an awkward hug.  
Butt Witch slowly put Dr Champion down. “You live, for now. You remain unharmed at my hands, _for now_. But know this, little man. If I ever catch you alone in the woods, I will take the opportunity I give up freely now. I will make sure you know the _consequences_ of fucking with my sister. Are we clear? I will destroy you from the inside out, and I will make sure no one ever finds you. It’s entirely possible that you’ll forget this, you forget everything _willingly_. But I won’t. Even if I forget everything else—my own _name_ again—I will never forget that you are a disease to be stamped out. A sick man, yes. Someone to be taken care of, potentially. A source of pain for _my_ sister? Well, that trumps everything else. Do you understand me, _Charles?_”

And she smiled a terrible smile, one more akin to baring her teeth as a show of aggression than of kindness. Rows and rows of razor sharp teeth were on display, much like a shark.  
“I-I understand you perfectly.” Dr Champion gulped.  
The rows of teeth retracted behind her lips, and she gave a satisfied, human smile. “Good.”  
“She’s joking.” Esther forced a chuckle. “Right, Eve?”

“I’m very funny.” Butt Witch said, almost in agreement. Her eyes never left Dr Champion’s though.  
“So why’re you here?” Reggie asked, leaning around Butt Witch to look at Dr Champion. Butt Witch shrank and retracted limbs until she was in her original quadroped form that the children were riding before.  
“My Endless turned to war.” Dr Champion pointed out. “I like the labyrinth.”

“Do you actually know your way around?” Esther asked excitedly.  
“Well enough!” Dr Champion agreed.  
Butt Witch eyed the hole he’d made in the hedges warily. “Without going _through_?”  
“Sure! I can draw you a map!”

“Wait, you’re not coming with us?” Reggie asked.  
“She’s scary.” Dr Champion said.  
“Eve’s not gonna hurt you, she was joking.” Esther said, before nudging Butt Witch. “_Right_, Eve?”

“Not her.” Dr Champion said. “The little Meadows girl.”  
“What little girl?” Reggie asked.  
Dr Champion simply screamed and dove through another hedge.  
“Well, he was… less than helpful, as always.” Butt Witch said. “Almost predictable in his unpredictability, really.”

Esther craned her neck. “Eve, can you go a bit closer to the hole in the hedge?”  
Butt Witch snorted. “Which one?”  
“Either one—maybe he shorted it out somehow? Went around the problem?” Esther’s fingers brushed the inside of the first hole Dr Champion had made. Instantly, they were transported to a memory.

_“Guess not.” Esther said. _  
The three of them were somehow in a car, packed in tightly along with Esther and her parents.  
_“Careful, you don’t want to fall down to the road.” Butt Witch said primly_.  
_“That’s not gonna happen!” Reggie snorted, but she didn’t shift too much regardless._

Esther’s father, a well dressed man in his late forties to early fifties with hair just beginning to gray, was in the front passenger seat, looking at a brochure. “Well, Edith, it looks like Bethune Middle School has a wide array of activities… but then again, I think we should take a look at extra-curriculars in Des Moines, maybe drive her up on weekends or after school?”

Esther’s mother, who had curly dark hair much like Esther’s, was driving. “Excellent idea Harold. If Bethune cannot give us all we need, we shall go elsewhere.”  
“Um, Mom? Dad? What extra-curriculars would I be taking in Des Moines? It’s kinda a long drive…” Esther said softly from the backseat.

Mr Hopkins twisted in his seat to smile at her. “We’ll see, honey. It’s all about your college application—we know you’ll do us proud. After all, every Hopkins has gone to a prestigious university for generations. You wouldn’t break the chain.”  
Esther pursed her lips. “…Dad, not to be rude, but weren’t some of those Hopkins the ones who forced themselves on some of my other ancestors because they were land-owning white men who knew that they could sexually assault their slaves and get away with it, and therefore the privileges that were open to them are somewhat irrelevant to my story?”

“That’s right honey. I’m glad that you remember that particular course on American history.” Harold said, turning back to his brochure.  
Dr Hopkins chuckled, keeping her eyes on the road. “I’m glad that we pulled you out of that _other_ one.”  
“I liked the other one.” Esther said quietly.

Edith waved a hand dismissively. “It was too childish for someone of your intelligence, Esther.”  
“And they whitewashed history.” Harold added.  
“_And_ they whitewashed history.” Edith agreed. “You would have had to un-learn their heteronormative, European-centric worldview anyway. Besides, you enjoyed taking a course with college students, didn’t you?”

“I guess.” Esther said. “I mean the course was fun, but I didn’t really talk to the other students much…”  
“Well honey, you weren’t really there to make friends, you were there to learn.” Harold pointed out. “Oh, there it is Edith!”  
Dr Hopkins pulled the car into the driveway of an enormous home. Behind them, a moving van pulled over.

Esther got out of the car with a bag. Dr Hopkins was already taking charge of the movers.  
Mr Hopkins got out as well. “Are you excited, Esther?”  
Esther gave a weak smile. “Yeah.”  
“That’s the spirit! Hey, while we’re moving stuff in, why don’t you go get some ice cream? I noticed there’s a place nearby, here’s some money.” He handed her a five dollar bill and ruffled her hair.

“Okay.” Esther said.  
_“Congratulations, you have a better father than me.” Butt Witch said, trying her hardest to keep her voice from sounding bitter. She failed miserably. _  
_Reggie watched the interaction between memory-Esther and her father hungrily._  
_Esther shuffled awkwardly. “I just… they expect a lot out of me. It’s a lot to deal with, sometimes.”_  
_Butt Witch placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently._

Esther made her way quickly to Captain Cream’s, apparently she’d seen it on the way into town as well. She ducked inside. It was mostly empty, but at some tables, children her age were sitting and talking. Reggie recognized a few from class, they were jerks.

Esther got some vanilla ice cream, and took a deep breath. She walked over to one of the tables and stuck her hand out for a handshake. “Hi! I’m Esther!”  
The girl looked at the hand, then at Esther’s face, clearly deciding what to say. “And?”  
Esther dropped her hand. “I’m uh, I’m new in town.”  
“Clearly.” The girl drawled. Her friends giggled.

“I’m just… I’m just gonna go sit over there.” Esther pointed to a table at the other end of the store. She took her ice cream and essentially fled, the girls still giggling.  
_“Want me to put frog spawn in their lockers?” Reggie asked. _  
_“No, I’m good.” Esther said. “I have you and Todd now.”_  
_“Children can be cruel…” Butt Witch said quietly. “Fill their lockers with old bubblegum instead. It’s sticky and will get everywhere and you won’t need to bother the frogs to get it.”_  
_“Awesome!” Reggie said._

Memory-Esther’s cheeks felt like they were on fire, so naturally the three girls felt it as well as shame and embarrassment roiled over them.  
Esther took out a knife.  
_“Yes!” Butt Witch said. “Cut their hair while they’re not looking and blame it on someone else! So smart.”  
“What? No, that’s not what I did!” Esther said. “Watch.” _

She also took out a small bit of wood, and began gently carving. It had already taken the form of a whistle or flute, and it just needed the holes. She finished it off while she ate her ice cream, long after the girls had left. When it was finally done, she headed home, ready to show her parents.

Edith was still supervising the movers, and Harold had gone inside. Esther waited until the movers brought in the last bits of furniture and followed her mother inside.  
“Hey, mom?”  
“Yes, Esther?” Dr Hopkins asked.  
“I finished my woodworking project, I just need to varnish it.” Esther handed the whistle to her mother.

Edith looked it over. “This is excellent craftsmanship for a beginning piece. Keep it up and you’ll be good at it in no time. Have you done your Kumon workbook for today?”  
“No. I met some girls…” Esther trailed off as her mother pursed her lips. “Sweetie, you don’t have time to be making friends right now. Your priority is college, you know that.”  
“I know.” Esther said quietly.  
Edith smiled. “I love you very much, Esther. And hey, if you do well in school your first two weeks, I’ll take you to the Bethune Mall and we can pick out something together, okay? A girl’s day.”

Esther’s face lit up. “Thanks, Mom.” She went upstairs, past boxes and boxes, to the top floor. She wandered until she saw a room that had slightly more of her things, including her bed. Her Kumon workbook was on the bed as well, and she just looked at it for a minute before pulling out her whistle. “I’m enough.” She started to gently play her whistle, and warped to Endless.

Predictably, she screamed upon seeing the inhabitants, but her reactions to the first time she went to Endless were much like others’. Summarily, the three were thrust out of the memory.  
“You’re enough.” Reggie repeated awkwardly. “You’re one of the coolest people I know.”  
“Personally, I think you’re already excellent. I have accepted you as a member of my family, and I do not accept sub-par individuals in my presence, let alone association with me.” Butt Witch added.

Esther chuckled. “Thanks guys.”  
Reggie nodded and punched her shoulder awkwardly, and the Butt Witch examined the hole Dr Champion had left through. “Maybe if we jump, we’ll still be carried through once we come back to our bodies.”  
“Worth a shot.” Reggie said.

Butt Witch jumped. None of them landed, exactly—they had to go through the memory first, as Butt Witch had expected.

_“Reggie, is that you? You’re so cute!” Esther cooed. _  
A young Reggie was fumbling on an ice skating rink, wearing an oversized hockey jersey. A man who must have been her dad followed close behind, wearing the same jersey.  
Reggie stumbled, but before she fell, her dad caught her hands and pulled her gently upright. “There we go, bean. You’re doing better than last time!”

Little Reggie smiled, revealing she’d lost some of her teeth. “As good as you?”  
“Not quite yet.” Darryl laughed. “But you’re almost there.”  
Reggie nodded firmly, and said, “Lemme go! I wanna try ‘lone.”

“Okay.” Darryl said, gently letting her go and following as she moved forward a bit. She made it to the wall, where Judy was waiting in the stands. “Mommy! I did it!”  
“You did, I’m so proud of you!” Judy said. She clapped dutifully. Darryl skated over and picked up Reggie, so that she was sitting on his shoulders.

“Da-ad!” Reggie giggled. “I can’t skate from up here!”  
“I can skate for both of us, bean.” Darryl said as they headed over to the middle of the rink.  
“I wanna try!” Reggie said again, but she was grinning.  
“Really, bean?”

“No.” Reggie giggled again. “Go faster! Faster!”  
Darryl sped up, and the three girls felt like they were flying.  
Darryl then took Reggie off of his shoulders, and, holding her hands, quickly took her around the ring. She screamed with laughter. “Again! Again! Again!”

Darryl pulled to a stop in front of Judy.  
“Show-off.” She said gently, kissing him. “Come on, we gotta go pick up Dustin from his friend’s house.”  
“Aw, c’mon Judy, bean and I are having fun.” Darryl grinned.  
A range of emotions flashed across Judy’s face. She finally grimaced and said, “Just a couple more minutes today, okay? We can always come back—and you guys want to catch that hockey game on TV later, right?”

“Yay!” Reggie cheered.  
Judy watched them circle the ring with an uneven smile. “Okay, now we really have to get Dustin.”  
“Let’s take a picture, I want to remember today.” Darryl grinned. “Brought the camera and everything.”  
“What’s so special about today?” Judy asked.

Darryl kissed her hand. “Nothing, but it’s a happy memory. It deserves to be saved.”  
Judy chuckled. “Flirt. Okay, I’ll find someone…”  
A skate rink employee took a picture of the happy family. Reggie skated out of the rink, nearly falling over, but righting herself at the last minute. “I did it!”  
“You sure did, bean.” Darryl grinned widely. “Looks like you don’t need your old man anymore.”  
“No! Don’t leave!” Reggie said, clinging to his legs as he exited the ring.  
“I won’t.” Darryl said, ruffling her hair. “I promise.”

_“He promised.” Reggie repeated, speaking for the first time since they’d entered the memory. She reached out a hand to touch her father on the shoulder, but it passed right through. _  
_Butt Witch winced. “Well, at least he and your mother…”_  
Tears began to roll down Reggie’s cheeks. Paradoxically, young Reggie was laughing and being carried by her father again, this time as he ran out of the skate rink. Judy followed more slowly, her smile from the picture slowly fading.

The memory ended, and they landed on the other side of the hedge.


	14. Surprise Darryl sucks and Endless is creepy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh... there's some almost suicide stuff and Dr Champion later shoots himself in the leg, so after he puts down the newspaper, if that stuff makes you uncomfortable, just skip to the end.

Todd, as it turned out, wasn’t being phased out. Not entirely. It was the fourth day since the girls had disappeared, but it felt like it had been forever. Todd just wanted it to go back to normal—but the longer the girls were gone, the longer it’d take to return to the way things were.

Aaron had suggested that he channel his emotions into music, and he was thinking of how to word it when he walked home, talking the familiar path past Reggie’s house. Walking was more of a coping mechanism anyway—no one to ask weird questions about his emotions that he couldn’t or didn’t want to answer.

Weirdly though, there was a man outside Reggie’s house. Todd paused, before ducking behind the house to hear what was happening.  
The man was _not_ dressed for the cold of Bethune, but Judy didn’t seem inclined to offer him a coat.  
Todd squinted at the man—where had he seen him before?

“For fuck’s sake, Judy! Reggie’s my daughter too!” The man said.  
Oh, that’s where Todd had seen him.  
“Yes, she’s your daughter, not that you gave a rat’s ass about her or Dustin beforehand. She’s missing, but that doesn’t have any bearing on _your_ life! You left, Darryl, and I have more important things to worry about right now!”  
“I’m here now, aren’t I?”

“Darryl, it’s too little, too late.” Judy sighed, passing a hand over her eyes.  
“What can I do to help, Judy?” Darryl nearly begged.  
“You can leave.”

“_Judy_.”  
“I’m not… well, I am, but they also think she might have gone to… see you. A few weeks ago, she found a box of your stuff in my closet and… I don’t know. I have to believe she just tried to find you, or something, as opposed to...” Judy trailed off, wiping her eyes. “I’m so fucking tired and stressed out, Darryl. I don’t have time for you to waltz in and complicate things further. Please leave.”

“Judy…” Darryl whined, smiling broadly. “You kept my stuff?”  
Judy looked unamused. “For the kids, if they asked about you. Dustin hasn’t, by the way. He _remembers_.”  
“Yeah, yeah, but Reggie?”  
Judy pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. “Goddammit Darryl. I can’t do this anymore, least of all right now. We have _two_ children together. You can’t be like this just because Dustin began to grow up and not think you hung the stars in the sky anymore. Reggie’s not five anymore either—what would you do if she came home right now, and told you to fuck off?”

“Hey! My daughter wouldn’t tell me to piss off, unless you’ve been filling her head!” Darryl hissed.  
“Who are you here for?! Reggie’s not _here_, Darryl! You being here won’t support Dustin, and it definitely won’t support me! Are you just trying to swoop in and pretend to be the hero when she gets home? There is more at stake here than whether or not my daughter feeds your ego!”  
“Hey! I drove here as soon as I heard!” Darryl growled. “I’m a devoted father!”

“Darryl, you’re not devoted to anything but yourself.” Judy sighed. “Leave, I’m not asking you again.”  
She shut the door. Todd waited for a few minutes, and came around the house. Unfortunately, Darryl was still there.  
“Hey kid.” He said, eyes roaming over Todd. “You’re not Dustin.”

“No, I’m Reggie’s friend.” Todd said warily.  
Darryl grinned. “Can you get in and convince Judy to let me in?”  
“Uh… no.” Todd said flatly. “You’re kind of an asshole.”

“Aww, c’mon.” Darryl said, sprawling out on Judy’s doorstep. “She’s _my_ daughter.”  
“Dude, you haven’t been there for her in literal years.” Todd pointed out. “Where have you been?”  
“I’ve been _finding_ myself. It sucks that you’re expected to just… grow up and have kids like everyone else before you.” Darryl waved his hand dismissively. “I’m breaking the mold, little man.”

Todd frowned. “Right. But you had kids.”  
“Yeah, but I… ah, too complicated to explain right now.” Darryl said. “Hey, you’re Reggie’s friend—do you have any idea where she might be?”  
“If I did, I would have told Judy or the police.” Todd said.  
“Aw, she won’t get it. Not like you and me. Reggie and I were close—I know her mind. And besides, if I find her and her friend, Judy’ll have to let me back in.”

“_Wow_. How’d you ever get Ms Abbott to go out with you in the first place? You kinda suck.”  
“I was quite the stud in my day.” Darryl said proudly. “And then, y’know, she got pregnant with Dustin and I kinda had to marry her.”  
Todd made a face. “You definitely suck, dude.” He then turned on his heel and walked away.

In Endless, the Butt Witch was peering through another hole that Dr Champion had made.  
“So. Once again, does anyone want to talk?” Esther sounded a bit exasperated at this point.  
“I mean, do you? What is there to say, really?” Butt Witch said distractedly as she looked at the new hole, then at the one they’d come through.

Reggie sniffled and wiped at her eyes. “Why’d he leave? What’d I do?”  
“You weren’t responsible.” Esther said firmly. “And I’m certain he still cares about you, people just drift apart.”  
“He doesn’t care about Dustin, so why would he care about me?” Reggie hiccupped.  
Butt Witch squinted through the hole, seeing other ones that Dr Champion had done, leading towards the centre. “Better question; why care about him?”

“He’s my dad.”  
Butt Witch looked back over her shoulder, turning her head around like a corkscrew. “Just because he squirted fluid into your mother does not make him your father. If he wasn’t there when you needed him, why waste time wanting him more when he has already failed you? You are stronger than that.”  
“Eve!” Esther hissed.

Butt Witch returned her head to normal. “What? It’s _true_.”  
“Eve, you have to be _nice_ about fathers leaving! It’s the rule!”  
“I’m not nice, and I don’t like rules. Besides, who made this rule?”  
Esther threw her hands in the air. “Common decency!”  
“Never heard of it.” Butt Witch deadpanned.

Esther frowned. “Eve, I know you’re lying, just like you were lying when you said you’d never left Bethune. You said you went to Disneyland and the World’s Fair. You can’t lie to me, Eve.”  
“I can try.” Butt Witch said. “Brace yourselves, I’m going to attempt to jump through that hole, despite the fact that Dr Champion appears to be shrinking.”

She jumped.  
They were surrounded by darkness.  
_“Uh, hello? Is anyone here?” Reggie called. _  
_“That’s weird, I don’t see anyone.” Esther said._  
_“I deeply hope this isn’t someone’s memory of exiting the womb.” Butt Witch muttered to herself._

She was alone, wasn’t She? It was Her Time.  
_“Who’s thinking that?” Reggie asked, looking around. _  
But She still didn’t have to leave quite yet. She wanted to see the sea before She left. And all of a sudden, there was an island with soft sand and a sun, high in the sky. Ha. She’d created light, just like God. She could see other islands in the distance, and it warmed Her heart that she was not alone yet.

_“Oh my God, is Endless the afterlife?!” Esther exclaimed. _  
_“For someone in particular, I think.” Butt Witch frowned. “I will need to find that pathetic little man and wrangle more information out of him.” _  
Excuse me, She was telling the story. You three should be _lucky_ and _grateful_ that She was showing you this.

_“The memory knows we’re here!” Esther’s eyes were enormous. “Oh my God, we’re going to die.” _  
Butt Witch stepped in front of her and Reggie, not that it did much good. They were utterly surrounded by the memory.  
The quiet got to Her after a while, though. She loved to create, but couldn’t quite think of everything on Her own. She couldn’t pull people in either, not just yet. Then, one day, She felt something. A tug, almost on Her heart, if She still had one. She brought Charles, sad, lonely Charles full of delicious and brilliant ideas—and he was happy. But, he kept leaving… so she ensured he’d stay.

She took his memories, and later, She took his key.

Elmer was next, and if She had been alive, he might have been the sort of boy that She had had a crush on, not that She’d admit it. She took his memories and his key as well, and stored them safely—but Elmer still escaped. No one else would.

Eve was next—pretty, graceful Eve, who reminded Her of Her older sister. She missed Her older sister. Eve was so good at make-up, and fashion, and so grown-up! Eve even gave up her key on her own, and She sent Eve to sleep. She’d keep Eve nice and pretty until She wanted to play with her again—not broken like Charles, but not _gone_ like Elmer. From Eve, she took the designs for the clothing of Her friends. So bright! So stylish! What would Her mother think about such designs?

From Reggie, dear, bombastic Reggie, She took the people of Endless. And finally, She wasn’t alone. She had dolls now, and She’d keep Her friends. Wasn’t that nice? Won’t you all like that? We’ll never grow up, and we’ll all have such fun. See you soon!

The girls were thrust out of the memory.  
Butt Witch retreated to her humanoid form, dry-heaving on the floor.  
“Oh my God, oh my God…” Esther wrung her hands, muttering to herself. “We’re going to die…”  
Reggie sat up, taking her time to gingerly move her leg. “So, we’re gonna kick this ‘She’ right in the butt, right?”  
“Have you ever seen _dolls_ rebel against their… well, their _God_?” Butt Witch said hoarsely.

“Uh, yeah? We have ‘Toy Story’ on VHS in my house.” Reggie snorted.  
Against her better judgment, Esther laughed. She sat down next to Reggie.  
“Besides, I think whoever she is, she thinks of the guys on Endless as her dolls. We’re her _friends_.” Reggie made a face with the last word.  
“Do you think she can get us here? She made this place.” Esther curled her arms around her legs, drawing them to her.

“No… I think she’d act against us if she could hear us right now.” Butt Witch said. “Dr Champion said he likes the labyrinth—he said he’s scared of the little girl.”  
“So… keep going, and hope we don’t get another of her memories?” Esther asked. “What did she mean by ‘see you soon’?”  
“We’re headed to the centre, right?” Reggie shrugged. “Where else is she gonna be?”

Esther shuddered. “She didn’t mention me, do you think that’s a bad sign?”  
“I think all of this is a bad sign.” Butt Witch looked over at the next hole in the hedge. “Come on, the hedge looks like it changes colour after this one. We might be almost there.”

She shifted back into her quadroped form. Esther helped Reggie on, then climbed on herself. Butt Witch circled the small area, gaining speed, before leaping through the hedge.

They were in a small room. The man that had since become Dr. Champion was sitting on a chair at a kitchen table, reading the newspaper, specifically, the ‘Telegraph-Herald’. Emblazoned across the front was, ‘CONGRESS DECLARES WAR ON JAPAN!’ followed by other headlines directly underneath.

Slowly, he put down the newspaper. His face was sallow, his eyes almost glazed over. There was the sound of machine gun fire, of mortars, of men screaming and dying, and around the kitchen table there was a quagmire of mud and death.  
Esther screamed.  
_“That man.” Butt Witch huffed. “He either needs to get some therapy, or make sure his memories won’t traumatize anyone else!” Her methodology of the latter was not defined, but Esther and Reggie had a pretty good idea of how she’d solve the problem._

His hands shook. “I can’t go back, not again…” He repeated to himself, almost like a chant. He moved to the other room, and pulled a box out from under his bed. He opened it to reveal a handgun. Slowly he picked it up, hands still shaking.  
_“Oh, you bastard.” Butt Witch hissed. “Don’t you dare—in front of these children! Girls, close your eyes!”  
Esther obeyed, but Reggie did not. _

“I can’t, I can’t…” He continued, before throwing the gun on the ground. “I’m too fucking _weak_…! Not that it will stop them from drafting me!”  
Suddenly, he raised his head. “Oh…” He picked up the gun, and put it in his pocket. He grabbed some gloves from the other room, and shoddily wiped the gun down with them, before leaving his apartment. He put on the gloves, and left the block.

There was a homeless man on the street that he nearly ran to. Charles took out all of his money and gave it to him. “Here, take my wallet too!”  
“Why?” The homeless man asked suspiciously.

“Because I need to pretend to have been robbed!” Charles said giddily.  
“I’m not taking your wallet!” The homeless man said. He did take the money though.  
Charles didn’t seem overly concerned by this. He simply threw his wallet into the nearest garbage can, then ducked into an alley.

He took a deep breath, then took the gun out. He lined up the barrel with his knee, closed his eyes, and pulled the trigger.  
The girls winced as his scream rang out.  
He wasn’t unconscious though. With his kneecap shattered, he pulled off the gloves, and tossed them and the gun as far away from himself as he could. The perfect crime.

The girls landed on the other side of the hedge, out of the memory, and finally in the parietal lobe section of the maze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments? Spare comments? (Rattles cup like a Victorian orphan) Spare comments for a poor lonely soul?


	15. Hmm looks like it's time to project on Esther

As they leapt through the hedges, they did not have the memories. Instead, they _felt_ different things.   
The searing pain in Dr. Champion’s leg stopped them all cold for a few minutes.   
The warmth of a parent’s hug.   
Hot chocolate on a cold winter’s day, ice cream in the sun.   
Feet pained from walking so hard, even the girls who were riding. Reggie looked at her broken leg in surprise with that one.

They kept going.   
Prickly grass under your back.   
Spinning until you feel dizzy.   
Butt Witch stopped after particularly painful period cramps so that the girls could catch their breaths. Esther recovered quickly—Reggie did not.

“Why does it still _hurt_…?” Reggie whined. “I had my appendix out!”   
“That’s not your appendix.” Butt Witch grew extra arms and gently lifted Reggie off of her back. “_Ugh_, you bled on me, you terrible child!”   
“What? I’m bleeding?!” Reggie squirmed, panicking.   
Butt Witch laid her down on the ground. “Calm _down_. Um… Esther do you have any way to manage this?”

Esther shook her head. “I don’t bring an emergency kit to Endless because I wouldn’t be able to bring it back! I thought we couldn’t age here—time wouldn’t affect us?”   
Butt Witch tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Hmm… it shouldn’t. This is a place for childhood.”   
“What’s _happening_ to me, guys?!” Reggie demanded.

“You’re having your first period. It shouldn’t be this… strong, though.” Butt Witch said, shape-shifting back into her humanoid form. Abruptly, Esther was dropped onto the ground, but she landed gracefully.   
“Wh—my _period_?” Reggie looked panicked. “I’m not…! I’m still a kid!”   
“I mean, yeah, but your body is still readying itself for puberty. If it wasn’t, it would mean that your growth was likely stunted, which would include problems beyond just the norm.” Esther pointed out, sitting down next to Reggie.

“I don’t _want_ stupid puberty!” Reggie wiped at her eyes with the back of her arm. “I wanna be a kid!”   
“The only way to ensure you remain a child forever is to die a child.” Butt Witch said firmly. “You’re still a child though—now you’re just a child who has to make sure that she doesn’t bleed through all of her clothes and cost her mother a fortune in undergarments. Yes, your body could _very technically_ hold a fetus, but the effort would kill both you and any potential baby, as you yourself are still a developing child. Children these days are having periods earlier and earlier because—unlike the Middle Ages, where everyone ate gruel—they’re able to eat their fill of the growth hormones fed to livestock.”

“Wh… how do you know that?” Esther asked.   
“It was in the books that summoned me.” Butt Witch said off-handedly. “The one with ‘inside every little girl is a woman waiting to bloom’ had some good ideas but poor phrasing.”   
“I didn’t want any of this to happen. I wanted to stay here and be a kid forever.” Reggie huffed.   
“Even after everything?” Esther asked, surprised.

Butt Witch sat down on Reggie’s other side. “Think of it this way—if you remain a child, you are ultimately beholden to your mother’s wishes. If you are an adult, you can eat marshmallows for dinner every night, or whatever makes your youthful hands so sticky, urgh. If you are a child, you _need_ your mother to take care of you, but if you are an adult, you can have a healthy respect for her as a person and individual, and there can be less tension.”   
“Is that what happened to you, Eve?” Esther asked.   
“No, I still hate my mother.” Butt Witch snorted. “I meant other mothers. I have to assume they’re not all like mine.”

“Eve, your life is really concerning. My mother is a professional therapist.” Esther said.   
“I thought she was some kinda bone doctor? You said you could help with my leg ‘cause your mom’s a doctor.” Reggie said.   
Esther’s dark cheeks flushed. “I… she’s had hospital training! People always think it’s more impressive when I make her sound like a doctor that deals with flesh and blood instead of the mind.”

“What does your mother have to do with this anyway?” Butt Witch asked.   
“She’s a professional therapist!” Esther repeated.   
Butt Witch raised an eyebrow. “And?”   
“Eve, you need therapy. And I think this might be a bit too much for Dr Tenders…” Esther gestured nervously.

“So, should I leave Endless weekly to see your mother, or would she brave the wilds of Endless to visit me?” Butt Witch asked, lazily rolling her head to look at Esther fully. “I was unaware therapists made house-calls, even when their patients—who have no money—are stuck in an alternate dimension that may or may not have been made as an afterlife.”

“Eve, you need help.” Esther pleaded as Butt Witch pushed herself off of the ground into a standing position. “What about the way that you think about Big Deal? He loves you—he cares about you so much! Reggie would have killed you if he hadn’t stepped in!”   
“Don’t bring me into this, I’ve got enough problems.” Reggie groaned. “It feels like I’ve been stabbed in the stomach…”

“Esther, how warm are your hands?” Butt Witch asked. “Maybe you can help Reggie apply pressure… God, if only I had other options for the…” She gestured vaguely at Reggie.   
Esther applied pressure to Reggie’s abdomen, but kept her eyes on Eve. “He loves you. It’s real, true love.”   
“You’re _twelve_! All love between adults is real and true when you’re _twelve_.” Butt Witch sneered.

“I’m Twelve.” Reggie grimaced at the pun.   
Esther ignored her. “Why won’t you even think about the idea that he loves you? That you can love him back?”   
“Because I’m scared! Because no one has ever loved me before, and no one _will_ if I don’t have something they want! Because if I give in, he’ll leave, and I don’t know how to be with him if I’m being all _nice_ and _sweet_. That’s not me, that’s not how I show affection, but it’s what he deserves!” Butt Witch burst out.

Esther’s face immediately became pitying, whereas Reggie looked annoyed. “We’re still going to focus on _this_ while I’m bleeding to death?”   
“Shhh… she just made a romantic confession.” Esther said. “This is just like ‘Pride and Prejudice’, if only Big Deal was here…”   
Butt Witch pinched the bridge of her nose. “Mention it, and I will heartily deny any of this happened. …Help Reggie get back on me. The blood on me is disgusting, but the quicker we get through here, the quicker we can escape and you two can return to a world of _showers_ and _therapy_ and _loving parents_ et cetera, et cetera.”

“Eve, you can come with us.” Esther said. “Even if it’s just for a while—to clean up, to sleep properly, to see a therapist...”   
Butt Witch looked deeply pained for a moment, then transformed into her quadroped form to avoid _feelings_ and _looking like she had them_. “Rampion had a point about one thing—I cannot return to Bethune as though nothing has happened. I am from here now. I can never grow. I can never age. And one day, when the stars burn out, I will still be here, drinking soda with Big Deal and the other miscreants. I… I don’t want that for either of you.”

Esther’s hands left Reggie’s abdomen, and Reggie made a sound of protest. “Esther, if she doesn’t want to talk about it, why make her talk about it? We’re almost out and I’m _dying_.”   
“Reggie, I’m sure it’s not that bad…” Esther said. “I mean, I haven’t gotten mine yet, but…”   
“It’s that bad.” Reggie interrupted.   
Butt Witch looked at Esther for a long minute, before saying, “I didn’t get mine until I was thirteen. You have nothing to worry about.”

“I’m not… okay, I am, but it just seems like everyone’s ahead of me in terms of development stuff, and I worry that something’s _wrong_ with me for not being there yet?” Esther said. “And then I look at _you_, and you seem to have it all put together, and everything? Like you’ve always been like this.”   
“I haven’t. It’s not fair to compare my adult body to your pubescent one…” Butt Witch trailed off, before saying, “There’s nothing wrong with you, Esther.”

“And what if there is?” Esther asked in a small voice. “My… body… is smaller than other girls my age, I’m a later bloomer…”   
“And what about it? What if you’re not like the others? You’re you, and that’s all you can ask for.” Butt Witch said gently. “If you’re that worried, your time will come, I promise you. I’m… I’m sorry that my body was a source of anxiety for you. If anything, it was meant to be that for Reggie.”   
Reggie gave her a weak thumbs up, before Esther helped roll her onto Butt Witch’s back.

And off they went again, through hedges.   
Reggie sighed happily as they felt the heat of a warm blanket in winter on them.   
They all shivered in the cold of that winter.   
They went quiet, feeling the sting of a hand on a cheek.   
And Butt Witch didn’t quite notice when the colour of the leaves subtly shifted, more pink than gold. The next hedge they touched, Butt Witch and Reggie screamed.

Esther didn’t, looking around.   
“Wh-why can I see the back of my head? Of Reggie’s head?” Butt Witch asked, futilely turning her head.   
“I don’t see anything!” Esther looked around, then looked at her hands.   
“Hang on a minute—we’re seeing things as _you_.” Reggie said. “How do we fix this?”

It faded after a minute. The next wall they crashed through, they all saw an image of bars. Queen Limerick of Endu came in, holding a box, and said something. None of them could hear what it was, but the image jerked, like Elmer was nodding. Queen Limerick looked a bit more sympathetic, and she knelt so that she could look Elmer in the eye. _You don’t have to go back there_. She mouthed.

“Who are these people?” Butt Witch asked.   
“That’s Elmer—he had Endless before you…” Esther said as Queen Limerick let Elmer out. She stopped for a moment, then struck—and the three girls were thrust out.   
“Oh, God, puppet boy?” Butt Witch groaned, growing extra arms to hold her head.

“Yeah. That lady came and retrieved her stolen stuff and took him away. He’d been going around other islands before that.” Reggie said.   
“There are other islands?” Butt Witch asked, horrified.   
“They might not be as… bad as Endless.” Esther said gently.

They moved on, through another wall. This time, all they saw was a dark room. There was a door ahead, and light coming from behind, but their heads would not move. After all, they were seeing through Her eyes, and She didn’t want to move, not yet. She would wait, but they had better be fast.

They were thrown out again, all feeling shaken and sickened by once again coming into contact with Her. But, on the other hand, they’d finally reached the temporal lobe.


	16. I've been waiting to show her off

They could really almost see another manhole like the one in the volcano so long ago. Butt Witch pushed an extra bit harder, and even as her tail snapped against the hedges, jarringly giving them parallel memories of the last few days from each others’ eyes, from Dr Champion of all people, from Todd, and always that cold nothingness, they pushed on.

“I didn’t know they’d be so worried.” Reggie said softly. “Dustin looked… sad.”   
“Reggie, don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t really like your dad.” Esther said gently. “But your brother seems decent, yeah.”   
“You don’t get it.” Reggie hissed. “Your mom couldn’t even remember Todd’s name—or my name!”

“They just care about my studies! It’s hard to get into college, and I need to get a scholarship!” Esther replied quickly.   
“And yet _my_ dad’s the bad dad?” Reggie demanded.   
Butt Witch stopped dead. “Well, out of all three of us, my father is definitely the worst. Your father tried to proposition Todd into doing his dirty work, so obviously he’s not perfect, but really no one’s parents are. We are almost there, and I want to present a united front against _that thing_ or we may all be blown to Kingdom Come. Say sorry, both of you.”

“Sorry, Reggie.” Esther said.   
“Sorry, Esther.” Reggie said, far more reluctantly.   
The Butt Witch nodded. “Watch out for each other in there. It’s… I don’t trust this.”   
“You didn’t trust us either, until we had to work together.” Esther said. “Maybe she’s lonely.”

“She?” Reggie said.   
Esther shrugged.   
“I don’t think she’s lonely—she could join in with us whenever she wanted.” Butt Witch muttered. “What she is, is a threat. A more powerful threat than we’ve ever encountered, so we’re going to need to play at least somewhat nice. Can you handle that?”

“Uh, yeah.” Reggie said.   
The Butt Witch nodded, then proceeded to the manhole cover, tearing it off and climbing down the walls until they reached a tunnel. They followed it, and pushed open an enormous door.

The three girls finally entered a large, circular room with a dome overhead. In the middle of the room was a gilded throne, and on the throne sat a child with blindingly white skin. On closer inspection, it wasn’t skin at all, but porcelain. She cocked her head, and the sound of it cracking filled the room. Butt Witch transformed back into a woman, gently letting Esther hold Reggie.

“Hey, are you the one causing all the trouble on Endless?!” Reggie demanded. Her voice, no matter how hard she yelled, was nowhere near as loud as the sound of the porcelain on itself. The Butt Witch cringed, her lesson immediately discarded.   
**“I am Endless.”** The little girl said. **“Or really, Endless as it was in the beginning. The fuel for all other… Endlesses, I suppose.”   
**“Can you restore _our_ Endless?” Esther asked.

The child blinked. Again the sound rang out. **“I _could_. I don’t want to, though. Reggie—may I call you Reggie?—has already given me so much, and it’s so much work to keep it up and running as it is now.”   
**“Can you at least give us back our—give us back Big Deal!” Butt Witch said, eciding to go along with Reggie’s aggression. A united front was more important. “Or let the children leave!”   
**“I can’t do that, Eve. I might want to play with them again… the last child I could play with was Elmer, and he escaped.” **  
“He went crazy!” Reggie protested. “And so did Dr. Champion!”

The child folded their fingers under their chin. Their eyes glittered like onyx, a pupil-less void. **“They’re not insane. They simply gave me everything. All their memories, all their creativity… I wouldn’t be able to keep building and improving my island if I didn’t have help, now would I? Don’t worry, Reggie. You’ll soon come around to their way of thinking. Did you like playing with Eve? I left her just enough memories to make her hate you.” **

“I don’t hate Reggie.” Butt Witch huffed. “I don’t even hate her Endless, once I’ve seen how… _eugh_, kind her population is!”   
“Aw, thanks Eve!”   
“Shut up, I’m not done.” Butt Witch said. “_You_, though… you trapped me here, made me a villain, all for _what_?!” She transformed into her beast form.

The child raised a hand, and Butt Witch went flying into the wall, suddenly transformed back into her more feminine form. “Eve!” Both girls screamed.  
The child continued as if they hadn’t spoken.** “For the stories, of course. Why else would I look for people with such talents?” **   
“Th-that’s not true!” Esther said. “You prey on the lonely and the isolated!”

The child finally turned to look at her, and narrowed her eyes. **“Oh. You. You’re right, it is so much easier when there’s only one. You and that boy… what was his name? You two just _had_ to ruin everything, didn’t you? Give her friends? Bring strife to _my_ island?”   
**“Hey! That’s not Esther’s fault!” Reggie hissed. “I’m gonna--!”   
The child laughed. **“You’ll **_what_? Use your powers on me? Powers that I gave you? With a broken leg and period cramps no less? Don’t try to be violent with me, Reggie. We’re going to be friends, and fight the Butt Witch together. Wouldn’t you like that?” 

“I’ll never be friends with you!” Reggie spat.   
The child scowled, leaning back in her throne. **“Suit yourself. You’ll see everything my way soon.” **  
Butt Witch slowly rose to her feet, leaning against the wall. She wiped blood away from her mouth. “If you touch either of these children… no, threats won’t work on you, will they? Fine, then. Even I know this isn’t how you make friends. Why not actually play with your creations, hmm? Leave your throne?”

The child’s face shuttered. **“I cannot leave the core. Mother said I’m not allowed outside until I’m better.” **  
“And when was that? What year?” Butt Witch pressed. “_I_ came here in 1975. I wake up and thirty years have gone by. Elmer came here in 1955, Rampion in 1945, but no one before that. Tell us about yourself!”

“What’s your name?” Esther asked softly.   
**“My name is Bethune Meadows.” **The child said. **“And I have no age, because I am Endless.” **  
“You were the one they found buried underneath ‘Captain Cream’s!” Reggie gasped. “That’s how you find people—what, is your ghost looking for ‘em or something?”   
Bethune’s hands began to shake. **“I… you found Endless on your own. You _wanted_ Endless. You still want Endless!” **

“I want to see my mom again!” Reggie shot back. “I want to go to school, and you know what? I want to grow up! And you should too!”   
**“I can’t grow, weren’t you listening? I’m Endless!” **Bethune screamed. **“And I want to keep you here!”**   
Butt Witch rubbed her temples. “Alright! Stop screaming, all four of you. You’re making me and the two Esthers worried. You want to keep your stories? I understand that. Put Endless back to the way it was under Reggie. She’ll keep coming.”

Tears stopped rolling down Bethune’s cheeks. **“I… erase her memories? All your memories?” **  
“No!” All three girls said at once.   
“But they will come back—all three of them. You’re right, Endless is too pleasing not to.” Butt Witch said. “And one day, Reggie will stay, and that will be her choice!”

“What?” Reggie asked.   
Butt Witch just shook her head at Reggie, before continuing to Bethune, “She’ll come back, alone, and willing to be your friend.”   
Bethune drummed her fingertips on her throne. **“And if she doesn’t?” **

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” Butt Witch said off handedly. She tried to wave her had dismissively, but winced halfway through, and cradled it to her chest. “You can even come up and play with us if you want.” Here, she gave Reggie and Esther a look that strongly implied that they were meant to agree.

Both girls nodded firmly.   
**“But that doesn’t solve the issue of too much power being used at once.” **Bethune frowned. **“I can’t keep the sun on forever.” **  
“Give them night. Give them sunsets.” Esther said. “It’ll probably go a long way towards making them better playmates, right?”   
**“Silence.” **Bethune hissed, though she appeared to be thinking it over. She finally nodded. **“Alright. You can go, for now. The status quo is upheld.” **

Esther and Reggie’s keys began to glow, and suddenly they shot towards the centre of the dome. Down below, Butt Witch collapsed to the ground.

Todd was one of the first people the police called after the parents. The girls were rushed to the local hospital, especially since there was blood on Regina’s pants and she seemed to be wearing a make-shift splint.   
The policewoman came and sat down with him in the hospital waiting area. “So, they’re back. Do you know how?”   
Todd shook his head. “I’m just glad that they are. Where’d you find them?”

The policewoman curled her lip. “Dumped on the ground outside Captain Cream’s. It’s… odd. They looked like they’d been thrown on the ground, like they… fell. Not like they were placed there, or they were running and collapsed, or thrown out of a vehicle… just appeared out of nowhere. We’ll have to see what they say, of course.”

Todd pulled out his Endless key—it glowed faintly before dimming. Endless wasn’t quite ready yet, it seemed.   
“They’ll think you won’t believe them.” Todd said. “If they talk about Endless. I know their parents probably won’t— hang on, is that Darryl?”

Darryl was indeed arguing with the nurse, demanding to see Reggie—or the police, it wasn’t very clear.   
“Don’t focus on him. I’ll hear what Reggie and Esther have to say before leading with Endless. Have you heard anything about their conditions?” The policewoman asked.   
“No.” Todd said softly.  
The policewoman moved a previously unnoticed cardboard box from her other side to her lap. “If it wasn’t Endless… be prepared that they may have… adults can be cruel, Todd, and no possibilities have to be discounted…”

“What are you saying?” Todd asked, eying the box. “What’s in there?”   
“Standard procedure for women or girls who may have been kidnapped.” The policewoman swallowed. “I… hope it was Endless, but with Regina’s leg…”   
Todd’s blood ran cold. “It had to have been Endless—what about my key?”   
“You’re a good kid, Todd. I hope you’re right—” They were cut off by a nurse exiting the room. “They’re ready for you now.”

Darryl perked up. “Me, included?”   
The nurse leveled a glare at him. “I work with Judy. And Reggie hasn’t asked for you—in fact, Judy _and_ your son said to keep you out.”   
Darryl scowled. “Fine—they want me gone so bad? I’ll just go back to Lake Tahoe!” He stormed out, and there was the sound of a car screeching as it pulled away.

“Don’t tell Reggie he was here.” Todd said to the policewoman.   
“I won’t.” She said, even as she was jotting something down in her notebook.

Reggie and Esther both confirmed that it was Endless—that they’d been largely unharmed, at least in the way that the policewoman had been worried about—away from their parents.   
“People are going to ask where you two were.” The policewoman said. “You may need to get your stories straight.”   
“We need to get back to Endless anyway—our friend…” Esther trailed off.

“The Endless residents? They’ll all be fine.” Todd said. “Right?”   
“Not—not _them_… Evelyn Sinclair? We know you went to see her mom?” Esther bit her lip.   
“How do you know that?” The policewoman asked.   
“Tell you later…” Reggie craned her neck to see around the policewoman. “Where’s my dad? I know Todd saw him yesterday.”

Silence fell over the room. Todd and the policewoman exchanged an awkward look.   
“He’s not… here.” Todd said. “He left.”   
“What? But he was… why not?” Reggie demanded. “What did you say to him? Is this like Brown Roger?!”   
“I didn’t say anything to him!”

“You told him he was creepy and weird!” Reggie shot back. “Now he’s gone!”   
“Miss Abbott, please control yourself…” The policewoman said.   
“What’s in the box you’re holding?” Esther asked.

“Some kidnapping protocol thing…” Todd said, before turning back to Reggie. “I didn’t say anything to him to get him to leave! He just did, because he couldn’t handle not seeing you!”   
“Well, he’s my dad!”   
“He’s a spoiled brat—let’s not fight, Reggie. I’m glad you’re back, and I don’t want to create any more worms for the Butt Witch to eat.” Todd smiled awkwardly.

“She’s not the Butt Witch.” Reggie muttered. “Not anymore. She’s Eve, and she’s the reason I’m still here.”   
Esther was still frowning at the box. “What…?”   
“They were to test for DNA in case either of you had been… touched in an inappropriate manner by adults.” The policewoman said, putting the box down and kicking it gently to the side. The top opened.

Judy chose that moment to come in, and seeing the rape kits, her face paled. The stress of the last few days—and what seemed like evidence of her child, her youngest, her _baby_ being hurt in such a way overcame her. She burst into tears, drawing Reggie to her as much as she could with Reggie’s leg in a sling.   
“Mom, it’s okay.” Reggie said, her anger over her father leaving again melting away. “I’m okay.”

Todd, the policewoman, and Esther slipped out of the room (Esther still in a hospital gown and shock blanket) to give them some privacy as Reggie tried to explain where they’d been to her hysterical mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The town is named after her.


	17. Sequel Hook

“Ma’am? Ma’am, can you hear me?”   
Butt Witch opened her eyes to see her lights in her vacuum—and Big Deal’s worried face.   
“What? Yes, I’m fine, get off of me.” She rolled away from him in her bed as opposed to pushing him. Then she turned to look closely at him. “Big Deal, are we dead?”

“Wh… I don’t think so, Ma’am!” He began patting himself down for holes.   
She rolled her eyes. The questions she was trying to ask were too complex anyway—could something die in the afterlife? That little girl had more or less confirmed that Endless was her playground, and her afterlife. Disgusting—clearly she didn’t deserve it. But, since this was some sort of afterlife and Bethune was the only god she’d found, what would happen if she died here? Especially as a human? Where do dead things go if they die in the afterlife—and didn’t die to begin with?

She leapt nimbly out of the bed, flexing her claws. Her spine had felt like it had shattered when Bethune had thrown her into the wall—and now, nothing. In fact, there was no evidence that _any_ of it had happened at all. Maybe it had been a dream? No, it couldn’t have been… could it?

“Has anyone heard from Twelve, recently?” She asked nonchalantly.   
“No, but remember, there was her test?” Big Deal said. “We have the island to ourselves, Ma’am.”   
She curled her lip. No, no they didn’t. Even if there was truly nothing, and it was all a dream… she didn’t want to conquer anything anymore. She didn’t want to destroy anything—with her luck Reggie and Esther would take her down again, and she’d falter in a crucial moment, vividly remembering her sisters from the dream instead of the noisy brats insistent upon ruining her life in the then and now. She didn’t let Big Deal know of this internal turmoil though, she simply said, “Let’s go see our kingdom then. Big Deal, one of these days I’m going to have you build me a carriage.”

“Ma’am?”   
“Surely there must be someone I can talk to about building me one on this island. Who builds things here?” She continued, moving over and sitting on his back to be flown out of the vacuum. He complied, even if the breakfast that he had lovingly made for her went cold.

“Things just… show up.” Big Deal panted.   
Butt Witch tapped her chin reflectively. Maybe Reggie and Esther could… no. “Fine then. Big Deal—get me some paper and coloured pencils!”   
He set her down on the beach and ran off. He returned quickly—more quickly than she had expected, but in the distance she saw Brown Roger watching them pensively. Perhaps he had been the donor?

In a generous mood, she called, “Thank you, Brown Friend!”   
Mollified, Brown Roger went back to his latest creation of Reggie.   
Butt Witch began to draw a burgundy coloured carriage from the side, then made the front skis for the sand. She also got rid of the coachman’s position, and drew a harness. She squinted at Big Deal, then wrote down his measurements—fairly accurate, anyway, next to said harness. The seating inside would be green velvet, and she could have curtains should the need for privacy occur.

She tapped her lips pensively for a second, then said, “Big Deal, is there anyone on this island who would draw my carriage besides you?”   
“Ma’am? Please don’t fire me!” Big Deal said, pausing from his own drawing. She glanced at it—it was a picture of them holding hands and smiling. It was actually quite good. “Dr Champion mentioned it once, and I don’t like the idea of it at all.”

“Stop your whining—it’s simply in case this proves too heavy for you.” She added a hook in the harness so that she could switch it out for a larger one if need be. She could always make larger ones once the need arose. Satisfied with her drawing, she dug a small hole in the sand and threw it in, then buried it. It shone, shook the sand, and everything—but what ultimately came out was a bit too small. She promptly reburied it. This time, it came out the right size, but alive.

“Well, that solves that problem.” She said, eying it appreciatively as the harness chased Big Deal around. The carriage cooed lovingly.   
“I should get into the vehicle design business.” She said, mostly to herself. Louder, to Big Deal, she called, “Play dead, and it’ll lose interest!”

Big Deal obediently flopped right into the ocean, and the harness seemed to sniff him for a moment before heading off into the jungle. Butt Witch opened the door to her carriage to look at the interior. And there, sitting on the seat of it, were two things. One was her Endless key. The other was a note.

With shaking hands she picked it up.

‘**_You dropped this, Eve._**

** _-BM’ _ **

So. It hadn’t been a dream, and somehow, the god-child had saved and kept her key, or created a new one. Slowly, Butt Witch gathered the pincushion in her hands, and held it to her chest. Her favorite needle, still wrapped in red thread, glinted like it had never left her care.  
Big Deal climbed into the carriage after her. “Ma’am?”

“We have a lot of work to do, Big Deal.” She said quietly, sitting down, still cradling her key. She didn’t even know if it worked anymore or not.   
“About Twelve?” Big Deal asked, scrambling into the seat across from her. The door clicked shut behind him and the carriage ride began, startling him.

Butt Witch smiled. “Yes. About Twelve. I’m sure she rues the day she stepped foot on this island, if she doesn’t already… but I think I finally have a way to stop her, Big Deal.”   
Big Deal eyed her fearfully, but she dismissed his concerns. It wasn’t like she was going to hurt Reggie or Esther. No, indeed… it seemed like she’d found a way to finally save her little sisters, even if it cost her everything.

Like the moment of her reawakening, when she’d been so overcome with sorrow, she did the only thing she could. Eve Sinclair laughed, because there was nothing else to do.


End file.
